Library Guides: WRIT 1x33 -- Dr. Taczak's Writing Classes: Start your research

Get a broad overview of your topic

Reference sources (sometimes known as tertiary sources), usually give you a broad overview of a topic. You can look up answers to general questions here, and start to decide what specific questions you want to ask in your own research.

You'll also start to gather keywords / search terms on your topic, which will be very handy when you start to search for books and articles on your topic.

**Remember, this page just points you towards a few example reference sources from the main subject areas -- there are many more reference sources available in the library, both in print and online!***

Help with the research process

SAGE Research Methods This link opens in a new window
Search and browse books, dictionaries, encyclopedias, journal articles, and case studies on research methods to help you learn and conduct research projects.

Multidisciplinary reference sources

Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Online reference library providing access to a large number of encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri and other reference books, including Who's Who, and Who Was Who.
Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Includes multi-volume encyclopedias, biographical collections, business plan handbooks, company history compilations, consumer health references, and specialized reference sources.
Oxford Reference This link opens in a new window
Provides access to language and subject reference works, including titles in the Oxford Companions series, in a single cross-searchable interface.
Limited to 5 concurrent users.
Oxford Handbooks Online This link opens in a new window
Features complete texts of the Oxford Handbooks in Business and Management, Philosophy, Political Science, and Religion.
Science Reference Center This link opens in a new window
This database contains full text for nearly 640 science encyclopedias, reference books, periodicals, etc. Topics covered include: biology, chemistry, earth & space science, environmental science, health & medicine, history of science, life science, physics, science & society, science as inquiry, scientists, technology and wildlife.

Arts & humanities reference sources

Ancestry Library Edition This link opens in a new window
Delivers billions of records in census data, vital records, directories, photos, and more.
Oxford Art Online This link opens in a new window
A standard art reference resource. Lengthy, scholarly entries describe and define art terms and movements worldwide. Includes biographical information about artists.
Limited to 5 concurrent users
Oxford Music Online This link opens in a new window
The largest comprehensive music encyclopedia in English. Features over 29,000 articles by 6000 contributors from all parts of the world.
Limited to 5 concurrent users.
Dictionary of Literary Biography Complete Online This link opens in a new window
Provides biographical and critical essays on the lives, works and careers of the world’s most influential literary figures from all eras and genres. Digitized to match the look and feel of the acclaimed print originals, including thousands of images.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy This link opens in a new window
A dynamic encyclopedia devoted to philosophy.

Business & finance reference sources

International Financial Statistics This link opens in a new window
Covers the monthly publication International Financial Statistics as well as data found in the annual publication International Financial Statistics Yearbook.
Reference Solutions (ReferenceUSA) This link opens in a new window
A directory of about 44 million U.S. private and public companies. Provides addresses, contact names, estimates sales and employee figures. Users can search by SIC, yellow page heading, state, city, and down to the zip code level.
Also found as Reference USA
Statista This link opens in a new window
Features data on over 60,000 topics from over 18,000 sources, including market research reports, trade publications, scientific journals, and government databases.
Note: For University of Denver faculty, students and staff only. Users of the Statista websites and subpages are granted a nonexclusive, non-transferable, limited right to access and use for research purposes the Online Service and Materials made available. Commercial use is strictly prohibited. No library walk-ins are allowed to use this database.

STEM reference sources

A selection of helpful reference sources for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Medicine:

CHEMnetBase This link opens in a new window
Filled with authoritative handbooks and recent research, including the Handbook of Chemistry and Physics; Dictionary of Organic Compounds; Dictionary of Inorganic and Organometallic Compounds; Dictionary of Drugs; Polymers Property Database; and more.
Consumer Health Complete This link opens in a new window
Covers all areas of health and wellness from mainstream medicine to the many perspectives of complementary, holistic and integrated medicine. Includes evidence-based reports, popular health magazines, reference sources, videos, and more.
Encyclopedia of Life This link opens in a new window
An unprecedented global partnership between the scientific community and the general public whose goal is to make freely available to anyone knowledge about all the world's organisms.

MathWorld
A comprehensive and interactive mathematics encyclopedia intended for students, educators, math enthusiasts, and researchers. MathWorld is a free resource from Wolfram Research, built with Mathematica technology.

MedlinePlus This link opens in a new window
Offers reliable, up-to-date information about diseases, conditions, and wellness issues in language you can understand. Includes a medical encyclopedia and a medical dictionary, extensive information on prescription and nonprescription drugs, health information from the media, and links to thousands of clinical trials. There is also a Spanish language version. Produced by the National Library of Medicine and the National Institute of Health.
PLANTS Database (USDA) This link opens in a new window
Provides names, distributional data, species abstracts, characteristics, images, crop information, references, and more information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories.
Synthesis Digital Library of Engineering and Computer Science This link opens in a new window
An information service designed to introduce researchers and students to new topics and areas. Each "Lecture" is a 75 to 125-page electronic book that synthesizes an important research or development topic, authored by a prominent contributor to the field. The publisher hopes that these lectures provide more synthesis, analysis, and depth than typical research journal articles.

Social science reference sources

CQ Press Political Reference Suite of Online Editions This link opens in a new window
An excellent way to keep up-to-date on public policy issues, legislative research, and current events. Online editions include a stunning array of public policy reference sources concerning the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law This link opens in a new window
The searchable online edition of the Encyclopedia of Public International Law.
PolicyMap This link opens in a new window
U.S. national data and mapping tool and analytics platform with multidisciplinary applications related to social sciences, urban studies, real estate and housing analysis, community and economic development, public administration, public health, policy and political science, education, business, economics, statistics, and geography.
Social Explorer This link opens in a new window
Provides quick and easy access to current and historical census data and demographic information.

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WRIT 1x33 -- Dr. Taczak's Writing Classes