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For individual research help, schedule an appointment to meet with a librarian.
How to Use Reference Books
Encyclopedias and reference books are great resources for:
- Gathering background information on your topic
- Defining important vocabulary words related to your topic
- Finding a basic overview and main issues related to your topic
- Finding references to additional resources
They are important for the beginning stages of your research, but don't include them as part of the final cited reference list / bibliography.
Online Encyclopedias
Below are a few places you can find definitions and encyclopedia articles. These are also useful to browse topics for your research project. Please note: if off campus, you will have to login with your myNOVA username and password.
- World History (Gale In Context) This link opens in a new windowIncludes world history reference articles, periodical articles, historical maps, primary documents, audio and video. (NVCC)
- Biography (Gale In Context) This link opens in a new windowBiographical information on over 380,000 people from throughout world history; from encyclopedias and news articles. (NVCC)
- Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new windowMore than 100 Oxford University Press dictionaries and reference books. (VIVA)
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowA collection of over 500 reference books on a variety of topics. (NVCC)
- Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window(Formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library) includes full-text encyclopedias, handbooks, and other sources for multidisciplinary research. (VIVA, NVCC)
- AtoZ: World CultureA wealth of reference information about the nations of the world. Includes information about demographics, climate, culture and travel. (NVCC)
Encyclopedia Search Tips
Since encyclopedia articles focus on basic, general information about a topic, what you type in the search box should also be general:
YES: roman empire
YES: roman empire AND colosseum
NO: what was daily life like for gladiators in the roman colosseum