Featured Psychology Reference Material
Finding Background Information
When getting started with your research, it is a good idea to get a general overview of a topic or gather background information. Information from reference resources at the library can help you decide if the topic is worth pursuing. Traditional and authoritative reference resources include either print or online:
- Encyclopedias:
- Dictionaries:
- Handbooks
- Thesauri
In today's world, people generally turn to Wikipedia to get background information. Wikipedia is an open-collaborative online encyclopedia, and although it is a good starting point to use for finding background information, you will have to evaluate the credibility of it's sources. Background information serves many purposes, such as:
- Providing context
- Highlighting key information:
- facts, issues, origins, theories, definitions, terminology, dates, events, history, names of people, and organizations
- Keywords and subject-specific vocabulary terms for database searches
- Citations that lead to additional resources
Where to Search
On the library's home page, search a topic in the library's catalog and use the "Reference Entries" limiter on the left hand column. Here you can do a basic or advanced search already narrowed down to those items which are categorized as reference material. This will include both print and electronic holdings.
Recommended databases include the following:
- Gale eBooks has a collection of encyclopedias and specialized reference volumes for multidisciplinary research.
- Credo Reference contains hundreds of reference books on a range of academic topics.
- The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) traces the historical development of words with accompanying examples from literature.
- EBSCO Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia is a widely used and well-regarded reference works.
- Britannica.com is also the largest, most authoritative encyclopedia in the world.