What are reference sources?
Reference sources provide a broad or general introduction to a topic, and often provide links or "pointers" (e.g., bibliographies, references, authors) to other information sources. They are a great place to begin exploring your research topic, and may help you convert a very broad topic into a more focused, more specific research question. Specific reference sources include dictionaries and encyclopedias.
Reference Databases
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Literature Online This link opens in a new window
Critical essays on contemporary authors, with biographical, critical, principal works, and further study information. Includes published criticism on the works of creative writers now living or who died after 1959. Note: this database is a subset of the print version of CLC.
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Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window
Offers fully-indexed, cross-searchable dictionary, language reference, and subject reference works published by Oxford University Press, including Oxford Companions Series. Covers a wide range of fields and includes illustrations, maps, timelines, biographies, and links to authoritative websites.
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Sage Knowledge This link opens in a new windowOver 100 online multi-volume reference works, primarily in the social sciences and education. Great starting point for authoritative overviews on thousands of topics.
Subject-Specific Reference Works
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Asian American Literature : An Encyclopedia for Students
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Call Number: Ful text onlineISBN: 9798400615146Publication Date: 2020Asian American Literature: An Encyclopedia for Students is an invaluable resource for students curious to know more about Asian North American writers, texts, and the issues and drives that motivate their writing. -
Encyclopedia of Feminist Literature
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Call Number: PN471 .W455 2004ISBN: 0313327319Publication Date: 2004-12-30This reference includes substantial alphabetically arranged entries on nearly 70 women writers whose works are widely read in English. While most of these women are from England and America, the volume also profiles Chilean, Brazilian, Indian, South African, Australian, French, and German authors. The writers selected are feminist in that their works have challenged traditional gender roles, explored female oppression, or critiqued patriarchal social structures. -
Encyclopedia of American Indian Literature
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Call Number: PS153.I52 E53 2007ISBN: 0816056560Publication Date: 2007-07-30American Indians have produced some of the most powerful and lyrical literature ever written in North America. Encyclopedia of American Indian Literature covers the field from the earliest recorded works to some of today's most exciting writers. This encyclopedia features the most respected, widely read, and influential American Indian writers to date
