Research Guides: ENG 115: Accelerated Composition: Reference Resources (Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, etc.)

How do reference books help?

Reference materials (i.e. subject encyclopedias, specialty dictionaries, subject handbooks, etc.) help people get started in the research process.

Often, such resources lead the researcher to other sources that are the best for you to use or consider on a particular subject.

Think of the reference room in the library and the Credo Reference database as the scholarly and appropriate version of Wikipedia. You will be able to get an overview of your topic from these library resources, but you can rest assured that you are using appropriate and acceptable resources, as well.

General Online Encyclopedias

Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Credo Reference is a full-text online reference service. The collection includes over three million entries from hundreds of well-regarded titles from some of world’s best reference publishers.

Featured Encyclopedias

This is just a sampling of the reference books that can help you get started on your topic. Use the "Credo Reference" link to the right or click the "Find Books" tab to access the library catalog and Ebsco eBooks to find more books like these!

Encyclopedia of Animal Rights and Animal Welfare by Marc Bekoff
Call Number: ebook; REF HV4708 .E53 2010 v.1-2
ISBN: 0313352550
"This collection of 207 essays presents the latest scientific research and writings about the growing interest in animals as sentient creatures that deserve equal treatment and have intrinsic value. The topics include activism, animal-human interaction, genetic engineering, experimentation, speciesism, and zoos"--School Library Journal review.
Encyclopedia of Law and Higher Education by Charles J. Russo
Call Number: eBook; REF KF4225.A68 E53 2010
ISBN: 1412981115
"The Encyclopedia of Law and Higher Education is a compendium of information that tells the story of law and higher education from a variety of perspectives...[it] places legal issues in perspective so that students of higher education and the law can inform policy makers and practitioners about the meaning and status of the law and also raise questions for future research as they seek to improve the quality of learning for all"--Publisher's description.
Encyclopedia of Organic, Sustainable, and Local Food by Leslie A. Duram
Call Number: eBook; REF HD9005 .E645 2010
ISBN: 0313359636
"A comprehensive compilation of entries illuminates the key trends, activities, and themes in organic, sustainable, and local food, covering consumers, organizations, farming, policies, and much more"--Publisher's description.
Title IX : a brief history with documents by Susan Ware
Call Number: REF KF4166 .W37 2007
ISBN: 031244575X
"Susan Ware shows how athletics, once viewed as a privilege, came to be seen as a right. In her introduction, she examines Title IX within the broader social and legislative history of the late twentieth century, providing her readers with a clear account of the changes taking place in educational institutions and in athletics more specifically. Her selections, each accompanied by a headnote providing context, offer a wide variety of perspectives, highlighting controversies surrounding the legislation that continue to the present"--Publisher's description.