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.
ATLASES
Atlas of American Migration. Reference G 1201 .E 27 F 5 1998
The Atlas of Environmental Migration. Reference G 1046 .E 27 I 613 2016
Atlas of Human Migration. Reference GN 370 .A 85 2007
Atlas of Migration in Europe: A Critical Geography of Migration Policies. Reference JV 7590 .M 55213 2019
People on the Move: An Atlas of Migration. Reference G 1046 .E 27 P 46 2010
OTHER REFERENCE BOOKS
Cassells's Peoples, Nations, and Cultures
Contemporary Immigration in America: A State - by - State Encyclopedia
Cultural Encounters: Critical Insights to Literature
Encyclopaedia Britannica Online.
Encyclopedia of American Integration. Reference JV 6465 .E 53 2010
Encyclopedia of Community: From the Village to the Virtual World
Encyclopedia of Diasporas: Immigrant and Refugee Cultures Around the World. Reference DS 134 .E 63 2004
Encyclopedia of Global Studies .
Encyclopedia of Immigration and Migration in the American West
Encyclopedia of North American Immigration. Reference E 184 .P 68 2005
Encyclopedia of Social Networks.
Explaining Human Culture, an encyclopedia from HRAF: The Human Relations Area Files
International Encyclopedia of Social Policy
Immigration in America Today: An Encyclopedia. Reference JV 6465 .I 4754 2006
Issues in U.S. Immigration: An Encyclopedia. Reference JV 6450 .I 565 2015
Online Dictionary of the Social Sciences.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Social History. Reference HN 57 .O 94 2012
Principles of Sociology: Group Relationships and Behavior. Reference HM 716 .P 756 2018
Principles of Sociology: Societal Issues and Behavior. Reference HN 18.3 .P 756 2018
Sage Dictionary of Cultural Studies.
The Social Science Encyclopedia. Reference H 41. S63 2004
The Social Science Jargon Buster: The Key Terms You Need to Know.
Statistical Abstract of the United States. Latest edition on Ready Reference, older editions at General HA 202 .U 5 S 93.
