Reference Books Online
Below are a few places you can find definitions and encyclopedia articles, just remember that you will have to login with your myNOVA username and password.
-
Gale eBooks (Formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library) includes full-text encyclopedias, handbooks, and other sources for multidisciplinary research. (VIVA, NVCC)
-
Salem Press Health A full-text database of articles from Magill's Medical Guide, Seventh Edition and Infectious Diseases & Conditions. (NVCC)
-
Oxford Reference Online More than 100 Oxford University Press dictionaries and reference books. (VIVA)
Search Tips
Use broad terms, as encyclopedias usually provide general overviews of topics.
junk food
Use quotation marks ( " " ) around phrases (two or more words); this tells the database to look for the words in a specific order.
"childhood obesity"
Why to Use Reference Books
An encyclopedia is a type of reference book. Use a reference book to:
- Define important vocabulary words related to your topic,
- Find a basic overview and main issues related to your topic,
- Find references to additional resources, and
- Discover important background information related to your topic.
You will typically not use a reference book or encyclopedia as a source in your research. The information in these sources is for your own background knowledge.