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Latin American History: Caribbean Research: Getting started with reference sources

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

We have many other encyclopedias on subjects that could be useful to help you find a topic. Browse through the print versions or search in Gale eBooks, where you can search all their encyclopedias at once or try World History in Context.