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
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.
Black's Law Dictionary. Reference KF156 .B 533. Available online in the Westlaw Database, on the Secondary Sources page, upper right corner.
Crime and Punishment in America : An Encyclopedia of Trends and Controversies in the Justice System.
Dictionary of Corruption
Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Encyclopedia of American Law Enforcement Reference HV 8133 .N 48 2007
Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice Reference HV 6017 .E 52 2002
Encyclopedia of Criminology - Reference HV 6017 .E 5295 2005
Encyclopedia of Criminology and Deviant Behavior - Reference HV 6017 .E 53 2001
Encyclopedia of Organized Crime in the United States - Reference HV 6446 .K 43 2000
Encyclopedia of Police Science - Reference HV7901 .E53 2007
Encyclopedia of Rural Crime
Encyclopedia of Social Deviance.
Encyclopedia of Street Crime in American
Encyclopedia of Victimology and Crime Prevention
Encyclopedia of Women and Crime - Reference HV 6046 .E 56 2000
Gale Encyclopedia of American Law
Gale Encyclopedia of Everyday Law
Global Crime: An Encyclopedia of Cyber Theft, Weapons Sales, and other Illegal Activities
Historical Dictionary of American Criminal Justice
A History of Violence: An Encyclopedia of 1400 Chicago Mob Murders. Reference F 548.3 .J 638 2014
Illinois Practice Series. These online books are available online in the Westlaw Database, on the Secondary Sources page, click on the ILLINOIS link under the State resources, and then click on the link for this series in the TEXTS AND TREATISES section. Click on the blue ARTICLES tab to the right to get a list of relevant databases.
Law Enforcement in America: Opinions throughout History. Reference HV 8139 .I 775 2021
Legislating Morality in America : Debating the Morality of Controversial U.S. Laws and Policies.
The Mafia Encyclopedia - Reference HV 6441 .S53 2005
Mexican Cartels: An Encyclopedia of Mexico's Crime and Drug Wars
Online Legal Information Resources (OLIR) from the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL)
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Crime, Media and Popular Culture
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Intergroup Communication
Palgrave Dictionary of Public Order Policing, Protest and Political Violence Reference HV 8055 .J 69 2014
Profiling and Criminal Justice in America: A Reference Handbook. General HV 9950 .B 86 2015
Revolts, Protests, Demonstrations, and Rebellions in American History : An Encyclopedia.
Statistical Abstract of the United States. Latest print editions at Ready Reference. Older editions at General HA 202 .U 5 S 93.
21st Century Criminology: A Reference Handbook of Readings
The Use and Abuse of Police Power in America : Historical Milestones and Current Controversies.
Violence in American Society: An Encyclopedia of Trends, Problems, and Perspectives
List of COD databases about Statistics
