Why start with reference book articles?

• Academic encyclopedias, also called subject encyclopedias or reference books, give you a broad overview and background information on a topic.

• They introduce you to different dimensions of a topic.

• Read a reference article to learn key names, events, dates and terms.

• Use the works cited, references or See Also links to identify useful search terms (keywords) and resources for your research. 

• Unlike Wikipedia, you can be assured that subject encyclopedia articles are scholarly. They are authored and edited by experts in that field of study.

• You will use the keywords you identify to search for additional and more specific information on your topic in other resources.

• You will narrow and focus your initial topic as you learn more.

If you are on campus, I recommend the following books from our print reference collection. Reference books are for in-library use only, but you may photocopy or scan articles.

Use the following online reference databases for encyclopedia articles.