New Mcgraw-Hill Handbook image  
Works  
RESEARCH HOME > General Reference Works
 
 
 
 


Use printed and online reference works for general information.
Reference works provide an overview of a subject area. The information contained in general encyclopedias like Encyclopædia Britannica, Collier’s Encyclopedia, and Encyclopedia Americana is less authoritative than the specialized knowledge found in discipline-specific encyclopedias, academic journals, and scholarly books.

There is nothing wrong with starting your research by consulting a general encyclopedia, but for college research you will need to explore your topic in scholarly resources as well. Often, the list of references at the end of an encyclopedia article can lead you to useful sources on your topic.

Reference books do not circulate, so plan to take notes or make photocopies of pages you may need to consult later. Many college libraries subscribe to services that provide access to online encyclopedias. Check your college library’s home page for appropriate links to the resources.

Here is a list of some other kinds of reference materials available in print, on the Internet, or both:

ALMANACS
  • Almanac of American Politics
  • Information Please Almanac
  • World Almanac
BIBLIOGRAPHIES
  • Bibliographic Index
  • Bibliography of Asian Studies
  • MLA International Bibliography
  • African American Biographical Database
  • American Men and Women of Science
  • Dictionary of American Biography
  • Dictionary of Literary Biography: Chicano Writers
  • Dictionary of National Biography
  • Webster’s New Biographical Dictionary
  • Who’s Who
DICTIONARIES
  • American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
  • Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms
  • Dictionary of American History
  • Dictionary of Philosophy
  • Dictionary of the Social Sciences
  • Oxford English Dictionary (OED)
 
             
  Page adapted from Maimon, Elaine P., Janice H. Peritz, and Kathleen Blake Yancey.
The New McGraw-Hill Handbook. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2007. 294-96.		  
  @2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education | Any use is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
McGraw-Hill Higher Education is one of the many fine businesses of The McGraw-Hill Companies.