Below are a few places you can find definitions and encyclopedia articles; from off campus you will have to login with your myNOVA usernameand password (the same ones you use to access Canvas, student email, etc.).
More than 100 Oxford University Press dictionaries and reference books. (VIVA)
Search Tips
Use broad terms, as encyclopedias usually provide general overviews of topics.
higher education
Use quotation marks ( " " ) around phrases (two or more words); this tells the database to look for the words in a specific order.
"standardized testing"
Why to Use Reference Books
An encyclopedia is a type of reference book. Use a reference book to:
Defineimportant vocabulary words related to your topic,
Finda basic overview and main issues related to your topic,
Findreferences to additional resources, and
Discoverimportant 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.