Need Help?
For individual research help, schedule an appointment to meet with a librarian.
Online Encyclopedias
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.
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window A collection of over 500 reference books on a variety of topics. (NVCC)
- DynaMed This link opens in a new window A clinical reference tool for physicians and health care professionals for use at the point-of-care. With clinically-organized summaries for more than 3,200 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)
- Nursing Reference Center Plus This link opens in a new window Evidence-based resource designed for point of care. Includes videos, evidence-based care sheets, quick lessons, patient education handouts, drug information and continuing education materials. (NVCC)
Search Tips
Use broad terms, as encyclopedias usually provide general overviews of topics.
medication error
Use quotation marks ( " " ) around phrases (two or more words); this tells the database to look for the words in a specific order.
"nurse intervention"
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.