Encyclopedias & Reference Sources
You may want to begin your research with subject-specific encyclopedias or reference books to explore topics, find background information, discover leads to more in-depth resources, and locate statistics.
Use InfoKat Discovery to locate general, subject-specific, or data-focused reference books.
Consider these examples below and apply them to your research and topic focus.
In your search, combine relevant keyword(s) + "reference" OR try relevant keyword(s) + "encyclopedia" and so forth.
- Great Britain history reference
- Great Britain social history encyclopedia
- Great Britain history military encyclopedia
- Great Britain World War 1 historiography
You can also try performing a subject heading search in InfoKat Discovery, if you know a Library of Congress subject heading such as:
- World War, 1914-1918 -- Historiography
- Great Britain -- History -- Encyclopedias
- Queens -- Great Britain -- Biography​
Once you get a list of results, you may want to select the Resource Type --> Books to further filter the list (left hand side of the page).
OR begin your search in the Library Catalog to save some time.
Reference Databases
- Gale Virtual Reference Library
This link opens in a new window
A database of encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research. - SAGE Knowledge
- This link opens in a new window
A database of ebooks and reference books published by SAGE covering the social sciences and education, including such areas as African American Studies, Aged & Gerontology, Anthropology, Communication and Media Studies, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Economics, Education, Gender & Sexuality Studies, History, Politics, Psychology, Social Issues, Social Work & Social Policy, and Sociology. - Oxford Reference
- This link opens in a new window
Access to all Oxfords Dictionaries, Companions, and Encyclopedias in one place, covering 25 different subject areas, with new titles and editions added throughout the year. Includes continuous updating and exclusive online-only content. Over 2 million entries in almost 450 titles.
