LibGuides: ENGL 128 Research Writing: Science, Engineering and Business: Start with Reference to Build your Foundation

Online reference sources

Reference

Use the following online reference databases to find background information on English 128 research topics.

Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Find academic encyclopedia articles from dozens of reliable reference books on business, technology, the environment, health and other fields of science
Science Reference Center (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Limit to Reference to get started.
CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
Browse by topic or keyword to find information covering a broad range of important issues in health, the environment, business, technology and science. Reports date back to 1923, so be sure to check the date!
Science In Context (Gale) This link opens in a new window
Full-text articles from academic journals, magazines, and newspapers in addition to experiments and projects. Includes images, videos, audio files and links to vetted websites. Limit to Reference to start.

Reference in Ebsco -- Ebooks Community College Collection
Search within 3000+ reference books across the disciplines, including the humanities, social sciences, sciences, technology, and health.
Reference in ProQuest Ebook Central
A collection of searchable academic reference sources in multiple disciplines

Example: Reading a reference article

Using Reference Articles

Use reference articles to understand the general view of what is happening with an issue, who is involved, and why there is debate over it.

You can use important words or ideas (see the highlighted words in the example below) as keywords to build more focused or related searches.

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Why Reference

Mapping out your Research Topic

Reference is a great place to start

Read reference for:

background knowledge - the who, what, when, where, why, how's of a topic
terminology common to that field
an overview of the history of a subject or issues
leads to more information
reliable informtion. Unlike Wikipedia, you can see the academic authority of the author of the articles.

A reference collection is a set of encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other items that provide background information on a topic.

In college libraries, reference collections include specialized encyclopedias such as the Encyclopedia of Global Warming and Climate Change or the Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine.