Reference Materials
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
See also the section on Theories and Concepts
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.
Anxiety and Stress: Principles of Health (an encyclopedia). Reference BF 575 .S 75 P 756 2020
APA Dictionary of Psychology. Reference BF 32 .A 65 2015
Cultural Sociology of Mental Illness. Reference RC 455.4 .E 8 C 782 2014
Dementia Handbook and Resource Guide / Directory. Reference RC 521 .D 46 2020
Depression: Principles of Health (an encyclopedia). Reference RC 575 .P 756 2021
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.) (DSM-V). Ready Reference RC 455.2 .C 4 D 54 2013
Disability in American Life: An Encyclopedia of Concepts, Policies, and Controversies
Eating Disorders: An Encyclopedia of Causes, Treatment and Prevention.
Encyclopaedia Britannica Online.
Encyclopedia of Human Relationships
Encyclopedia of Social Deviance
The Freud Encyclopedia: Theory, Therapy, and Culture
Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Health
Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders
Human Diseases and Conditions: An Encyclopedia
Mental Health in America: A Reference Guide. General RA 790.6 .K 4644 2007
Oxford Encyclopedia of Psychology and Aging
Personal Relationships and Behavior: Principles of Sociology (an encyclopedia). Reference HM 1106 .P 756 2018
Phobias: The Encyclopedia of Irrational Fear
Principles of Behavioral Science (an encyclopedia). Reference BF 121 .P 756 2021
Sage Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood Studies
Societal Issues and Behavior: Principles of Sociology (an encyclopedia):. Reference HN 18.3 .P 756 2018
Statistical Abstract of the United States. Latest edition on Ready Reference, older editions at General HA 202 .U 5 S 93.
Violence in American Society: An Encyclopedia of Trends, Problems, and Perspectives
Oxford Reference and Sage Reference instructions
Oxford Reference
At the database search screen, after you type in your keyword(s) / search term(s) in the search box, slide to the right and click on the orange magnifying glass. When the list of search results appears, look over in the left column, and find the section for Availability. Click in the little boxes for Unlocked and Free. Then click on the orange Submit button right below that. This will then limit the results to just those items that you have access to. And if you want to, you can further refine those search results by Subject as well, just look a little farther down in that left column to find the subjects to click on.
Click here for the Oxford Reference home screen.
SAGE Knowledge Reference
At the database search screen, after you type in your keyword(s) / search term(s) in the search box, slide to the right and click on the magnifying glass. When the list of search results appears, look over in the left column, and click in the circle for Content Available to Me. Then slide down farther and click on the little boxes that have check marks for Dictionaries and Encyclopedias, to make them go away. Then slide down farther and click on the Plus Sign ( + ) for Works and Sections. A drop down menu should appear. Click in the little box for Chapters, and also click in the little box for Works, to make that check mark go away. Then click on the Apply Filter button at the bottom of that column, and the search results will be modified to contain only sections that are available to you.
Click here for the SAGE Knowledge Reference home screen.
Some publications from these two publishers, along with Salem Press, are also available in our other ebook collections:
Credo Reference, Ebook Central (ProQuest), Ebsco Ebook Collection, and Gale Ebooks.
