About Reference Works
Reference works provide basic overview articles on various branches of knowledge. They may be general or subject-specific. They are excellent places to begin research on your topic. Reference works will provide general knowledge about your topic, help you develop a thesis, supply you with important keywords for searching, and provide you with citations to important primary and secondary works on the topic.
Library Catalog
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Online Reference Material
Some important reference works for the study of history are linked below. Many additional encyclopedias and dictionaries can be found in the Library Catalog, which you can access from the link to the bottom left.
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowAccess encyclopedic titles in all disciplines taught at Dickinson, including various language dictionaries, the Marquis Who's Who series and numerous other biographical sources, economics and business encyclopedias, food and agriculture sources, publishing sources, atlases, and many encyclopedias covering the arts, history, literature, science, technology, religion, philosophy, politics, psychology, geography, country studies, and more. Coverage: varies. Full text.
- Britannica Academic This link opens in a new windowExplore the Encyclopedia Britannica, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, magazines, periodicals, and more. This collection contains multimedia encyclopedia articles, country statistics and comparisons, timelines, bibliographies, and links to journal articles and websites. Coverage: historical and current. Full text.
- Encyclopedia of Geography This link opens in a new windowExplore the diversity of geographical knowledge, including topics in physical geography, human geography, nature and society, GIS, and the history of geography. Coverage: antiquity to the early 21st century. Full text.
- CQ Press Electronic Library This link opens in a new windowBrowse CQ Press electronic resources, including CQ Researcher and the CQ Press electronic editions of reference books. Reference books include Congress A to Z, Elections A to Z, Supreme Court A to Z, U.S. Constitution A to Z, Encyclopedia of Religion in America, Encyclopedia of Political Science, Guide to Interest Groups & Lobbying, Voter Turnout in the United States, Vital Statistics on American Politics, The Contemporary Middle East, and more. Some full text. This purchase was funded in part by the Mary Moser Memorial Library Fund.
