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.
The A to Z of Social Science Research
Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology. Reference HM 425 .C36 2006
Cassells's Peoples, Nations, and Cultures
The Complete Encyclopedia of Signs & Symbols : Identification and Analysis of the Visual Vocabulary that Formulates our Thoughts and Dictates our Reactions to the World around Us. Reference AZ 108 .C 65 2011
Cultural Encounters: Critical Insights to Literature
Dictionary of Gestures: Expressive Comportments and Movements in Use Around the World. Reference P 117 .C 713 2018
Dictionary of Global Culture. General CB 9 .D 53 1997
Encyclopaedia Britannica Online.
Encyclopedia of Community: From the Village to the Virtual World
Encyclopedia of Death and the Human Experience Reference HQ 1073 .E544 2009
Encyclopedia of Global Studies .
Encyclopedia of Human Relationships
Encyclopedia of Social Networks.
Encyclopedia of Women & Islamic Cultures. Reference HQ 1170 .E53 2003
Etiquette and Taboos around the World : A Geographic Encyclopedia of Social and Cultural Customs.
Explaining Human Culture, an encyclopedia from HRAF: The Human Relations Area Files
The Global Encyclopedia of Informality: Volume 2, Understanding of Social and Cultural Complexity
Historical Dictionary of Women in the Middle East and North Africa
International Dictionary of Sports and Games. Reference GV 567 .C 8 1979
International Encyclopedia of Adolescence. Reference HQ 796 .I 58 2007
International Encyclopedia of Media Studies
International Encyclopedia of Political Science
International Encyclopedia of Social Policy Reference ; HN18.3 .I58 2010
Mapping the Nation (an interactive map showing how the U.S. is connected to others globally)
On the Job: An Encyclopedia of Unique Occupations around the World
Dictionary of the Social Sciences. Reference ; H41 .D53 2002
Open Education Sociology Dictionary
Outbreak! The Encyclopedia of Extraordinary Social Behavior. Reference HM 866 .E 93 2009
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Intergroup Communication
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women
Principles of Sociology: Group Relationships and Behavior. Reference HM 716 .P 756 2018
Principles of Sociology: Personal Relationships and Behavior. Reference HM 1106 .P 756 2018
Principles of Sociology: Societal Issues and Behavior. Reference HN 18.3 .P 756 2018
Routledge International Encyclopedia of Queer Culture. Reference HQ 76.96. R68 2011
Gerstner, David A., 1963-
Sage Dictionary of Cultural Studies.
Sage Dictionary of Leisure Studies
Sage Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood Studies
Sage Encyclopedia of Intercultural Competence.
21st Century Sociology: A Reference Handbook
Wellness around the World: An International Encyclopedia of Health Indicators, Practices, and Issues
