Why Reference Sources?
Is your research topic too big to cover in a short paper? Is your topic so specific that sources will be hard to find?
Before you even begin your research, start the process with reference sources-- in the Library's Reference Section or online in our databases. Reference books, like subject encyclopedias, can give you a head start and make your research easier in the long run. Use reference sources to:
- find a topic
- narrow your topic
- find keywords
- get background information on your topic
MOST IMPORTANT: Encyclopedia of Archaeology.
Collections of Many Online Reference Books in one place:
Credo Reference and Gale eBooks / Gale Virtual Reference Library and Salem Press
Oxford Reference and Sage Knowledge Reference also have thousands of scholarly, academic articles, but they are a bit more difficult to use. Click here to find instructions on how to use these collections of reference books.
Archaeological Excavation Dictionary. Reference CC 70 .K 536 2016
Archaeological Method and Theory: An Encyclopedia. Reference CC 75 .A 654 2000
Archaeological Glossary
Archaeology in America: An Encyclopedia. Reference E 159.5 .A 68 2009
Archaeology of Food: An Encyclopedia.
Archaeology: The Key Concepts.. Reference CC 165 .A 635 2005
Companion Encyclopedia of Archaeology. General CC 70 .C 59 1999
Cultural Encyclopedia of Lost Cities and Civilizations
Dictionary of Archaeology. General CC 70 .D 53 1999
Dictionary of Artifacts. Reference CC 70 .K 55 2007
Dictionary of Concepts in Archaeology. Reference CC 70 .M 45 1993.
Directory of Archaeology Societies and Organizations
e-HRAF Archaeology (click on the Browse Traditions tab at the top to find brief information about various prehistoric or ancient cultures)
Encyclopedia of Archaeological Soil and Sediment Micromorphology
Encyclopedia of Archaeology: History and Discoveries . Reference CC 100 .E 54 2001.
Encyclopedia of Caribbean Archaeology and Traditional Culture. Reference F 1619 .S 38 2005
Encyclopedia of Dubious Archaeology: From Atlantis to the Walam Olum. Reference CC 70 .F 43 2010
Encyclopedia of Pre-Colonial Africa: Archaeology, History, Languages, Culture. General DT 2 .E 53 1997
Encyclopedia of Underwater and Maritime Archaeology. Reference CC 77 .U 5 E 53 1998.
The Great Archaeologists. Reference CC 110 .G 737 2014
Illinois Archaeological Sites Directory: Places of the Past.
Key Concepts in Public Archaeology.
Milestones in Archaeology: A Chronological Encyclopedia. Reference CC 100 .M 87 2007
Mummies Around the World : An Encyclopedia of Mummies in History, Religion, and Popular Culture.
Oxford Companion to Archaeology.
Oxford Encyclopedia of African Archaeology
Places of the Past: A Guidebook to Illinois Archaeological Sites.
Symbols.com An online encyclopedia of signs and symbols.
