Why use a reference source?
A reference source is a great place to get an overview of your topic. By carefully reading a detailed reference article you can:
- Get a solid grounding on the facts or background of an event, person, or time period
- Discover different ways to take on your topic
- Gather keywords, names, and dates for further searching
- Use the Selected Bibliography to start gathering your secondary sources
Finding a reference source
Here are just a few of the encyclopedias we have in the library:
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Gale eBooks This link opens in a new windowWe have many encyclopedias on subjects that could be useful to you. Browse through the print versions or search in Gale Ebooks (used to be the Gale Virtual Reference Shelf) where you can search all the encyclopedias at once.
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Encyclopedia of the United States in the Nineteenth CenturyCall Number: R 973.5 EnPublication Date: 2000This is only available in print in the reference section of the library. -
Encyclopedia of Religious Controversies in the United States by Call Number: R 200.973 ReligiousPublication Date: 2012This is available as an ebook: click the title for the link and login through the gray screen with your UHS user name and password. It is also available in print in the reference section of the library. -
The ConfederacyCall Number: R 973.713 CoPublication Date: 1997This is only available in print in the reference section of the library. -
Encyclopedia of the American ConstitutionCall Number: [R 342.73 EnPublication Date: 2000This is available as an ebook (click the title for the link) and in print in the reference section of the library.
