Outline of this guide: Reference Works Books Articles & Other Information Sources

Other useful links: Book Review Sources Editorials: Sources Film Review Sources RefWorks: A Guide Research Log Research Planner

• Reference Works
  Writer's Guides | Biographical Sources | General Works on Science & Technology
  See the library's indexes and databases pages for additional reference sources, including online dictionaries.
  Don't know where to begin? Try searching Reference Universe.
  • Writer's Guides
    • Guide to Literary Agents. Ed. Joanna Masterson. Cincinnati, OH: Writer's Digest, 2006.
      Reference R 808.02 G946 2007
    • International Literary Market Place. New York: Bowker.
      Reference Desk R 655.4 I61
      Library has: current edition
    • Literary Market Place: LMP. New York: Bowker.
      Reference Desk R 655.4 L776
      Library has: current edition
    • The Writer's Market. Cincinnati, OH: F & W Publications.
      Reference Desk R 808.02 W95
      Library has: current edition
  • Biographical Sources
    • American National Biography. Ed. John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes. 24 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999-2002.
      Reference R 920.073 A512
    • Biography Reference Bank. H.W. Wilson, 2003- .
    • Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography
      Contains both the Dictionary of Scientific Biography, edited by Charles Coulston Gillispie (18 vols.; New York: Scribner, 1870-1990) and the New Dictionary of Scientific Biography, edited by Noretta Koertge (8 vols.; Detroit: Scribner's, 2007).
    • Gale Literary Databases. Gale, 2001- .
      Includes:
      • Contemporary Authors
      • The Dictionary of Literary Biography
    • Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. ed. H.C.G. Matthew and Brian Harrison. 60 vols. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 2004.
      Reference R 920 N2111
    • Scribner Writers Series. Gale, 2003- .
      Includes:
      • American Writers
      • British Writers
  • General Works on Science & Technology
    • Access Science. McGraw-Hill, 2005- .
      Contains the full text of the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology as well as research updates, biographies, and technology news.
    • The Cambridge World History of Human Disease. Ed. Kenneth F. Kiple. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1993.
      Reference R 610.9 C178
    • Companion Encyclopedia of the History of Medicine. Ed. W.F. Bynum and Roy Porter. 2 vols. New York: Routledge, 1993.
      Reference R 610.9 C737
    • Conn's Current Therapy. Ed. Robert E. Rakel and Edward T. Bope. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders, 2004.
      Reference R 615.5 C752
    • Credo Reference
      A collection of electronic reference books. Useful for fact-checking and quick answers to questions. For more detailed information, be sure to search the Gale Virtual Reference Library too.
    • The Cutting Edge: An Encyclopedia of Advanced Technologies. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 2000.
      Reference R 603 C991
    • Encyclopedia of American Social History. Ed. Mary Kupiec Cayton et al. 3 vols. New York: Scribner's, 1993.
      Reference R 301.097 E56
    • Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics. Ed. Ruth Chadwick. 4 vols. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 1998.
      Reference R 170.3 E561
    • Encyclopedia of Environmental Issues. Ed. Craig W. Allin. 3 vols. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 2000.
      Reference R 363.7 E56
    • Encyclopedia of Ethics. Ed. Lawrence C. Becker and Charlotte B. Becker. 2nd ed. 3 vols. New York: Routledge, 2001.
      Reference R 170.3 E56 2001
    • Encyclopedia of Global Change: Environmental Change and Human Society. 2 vols. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 2002.
      Reference R 363.7 E561
    • Encyclopedia of Global Environmental Change. Ed. Ted Munn. 5 vols. New York: Wiley, 2002.
      Reference R 363.7 E563
    • Encyclopedia of the United States in the Twentieth Century. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. 4 vols. New York: Scribner's, 1996.
      Reference R 973.03 E562
    • Environmental Encyclopedia. Ed. Marci Bortman et al. 3rd ed. 2 vols. Detroit, MI: Gale, 2003.
      Reference R 363.7 E564
    • Gale Virtual Reference Library
      A collection of electronic reference books, including:
      • Dictionary of American History. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. 10 vols. New York: Scribner's, 2003.
        Reference R 973 D554 2003
      • Encyclopedia of Bioethics. Ed. Stephen G. Post. 3rd ed. 5 vols. New York: Macmillan, 2004.
        Reference R 174.2 E56 2004
      • Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, & Ethics. Ed. Carl Mitcham. 4 vols. Detroit, MI: Macmillan Reference, 2005.
      • Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. 3rd ed. 5 vols. Detroit, MI: Gale, 2006.
      • New Dictionary of the History of Ideas. Ed. Maryanne Horowitz. 6 vols. Detroit, MI: Scribner's, 2005.
        Reference R 901.9 D554 2005
        The Library also has a copy of the first edition, the Dictionary of the History of Ideas, edited by Philip P. Wiener (5 vols.; New York: Scribner, 1973-1974), shelved in Reference at call number R 901.9 D554.
      • ... and more!
    • International Encyclopedia of Environmental Politics. Ed. John Barry and E. Gene Frankland. New York: Routledge, 2002.
      Reference R 363.7 I61
    • The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science. Ed. J.L. Heilbron. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 2003.
      Reference R 509 O98
    • Statistical Abstract of the United States
      Reference R 317.3 U54 (Note: most recent year is shelved at Reference Desk)
      Government Document Stacks C 3.134
      Online (1995 to present)
    • Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia. Ed. Glenn D. Considine. 2 vols. New York: Wiley, 2002.
      Reference R 503 V269

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• Books
  • Library Catalog
    Includes information about books, government documents, and journals, magazines, and newspapers in the Library.
    • To locate works about a person, do a subject search for the person's name (last name first).
    • To locate bibliographies on a person or topic, do a keyword search and add the following: su bibliography.
    • To locate appropriate Library of Congress Subject Headings, start with a keyword search and then browse records.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use a dollar sign $
      • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " "
      • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
    • WorldCat
      Indexes books, periodicals, and other materials held by libraries around the world. Search WorldCat to identify additional books on your topic and then order the books on interlibrary loan.
      Note: It can be helpful to identify relevant Library of Congress Subject Headings in the Library Catalog first; you can then do a subject search in WorldCat to find additional items with these subject headings.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: insert a "w" between the words in a phrase (for example, "cold w war")
      • Wildcard: use a question mark ?

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• Articles & other Information Sources
  Starting Points | Subject-Specific Databases
  • Starting Points
    • Academic Search Premier
      (1975 to present) Indexes popular and scholarly articles in a broad range of subject areas; also includes citations to book reviews and citations to articles in several national newspapers.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " "
      • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
    • LexisNexis Academic
      (Approx. 1980 to present) Includes the full text of articles from local, national, and international newspapers, magazines, and trade journals as well as articles from law reviews and federal and state cases.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use an exclamation point
      • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " "
      • Wildcard: use an asterisk *
    • OmniFile Full Text Mega
      (1982 to present) Indexes articles from over 3,000 scholarly and popular periodicals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences; also includes the full text of selected articles from over 1,650 of these periodicals.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks ""
      • Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?
    • Westlaw Campus Research
      Includes the full text of news articles and federal and state court cases.
      Note: you will need to accept the terms of the Westlaw "Agreement" before you can search Westlaw Campus Research.
      Search Syntax (for "Terms and Connectors" searches):
      • Truncation: use an exclamation point !
      • Phrase searching: use double quotations marks " "
      • Wildcard: use an asterisk *
  • Subject-Specific Databases
    Be sure to consult the indexes & databases pages too!
    • Applied Science & Technology Abstracts
      (1984 to present) Indexes articles in over 600 periodicals in a wide variety of applied science and technology fields.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks ""
      • Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?
    • The Gallup Brain
      1935 to present) Contains the Gallup Poll Public Opinion surveys, including more than 125,000 questions and responses from over 3.5 million people.
    • General Science Abstracts
      (1984 to present) Indexes articles in over 250 English-language periodicals in a variety of science disciplines, including physics, astronomy, biology, chemistry, environmental science, mathematics, and medicine.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks ""
      • Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?
    • Historical Abstracts & America: History & Life
      (Time period covered: 1450 to present [world history]; prehistory to present [U.S. and Canadian history]. Publication coverage: 1954 to present). Indexes journal articles, book chapters, doctoral dissertations, and book reviews. (Each database can also be searched separately.)
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " "
      • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
    • Historical Newspapers: The New York Times (1851-2004)
      Also available on microfilm (1851 to present)
      Index (1851 to present): Reference Index Area R 071 N53
      Personal Name Index: Reference Index Area 071 N53p
    • Humanities Abstracts
      (1907 to present). Indexes articles in over 500 English-language journals in the fields of archaeology, art, classics, communication, film, folklore, history, languages and literatures, music, philosophy, religion, and theatre. Also includes citations for book, theatre, and film reviews as well as interviews, obituaries, and some original creative works. Includes the full text of selected articles from 1995 to the present.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks ""
      • Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?
    • JSTOR
      Includes pdf copies of scholarly articles from a core collection of journals; also includes book reviews. Note:JSTOR does not contain articles from the most recent 3-5 years.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use a plus sign +
      • Phrase searching: automatic
    • LexisNexis Congressional
      Indexes congressional documents (1789 to present) and provides the full text of many recent congressional publications.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use an exclamation point
      • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " "
      • Wildcard: use an asterisk *
    • Periodicals Index Online
      (c. 1665-1995) Indexes journal and magazine articles as well as book reviews in a broad array of humanities, social sciences, and science subjects.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: automatic
    • Project Muse
      Contains full-text articles from journals published by university and scholarly presses.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " "
    • Social Sciences Abstracts
      (1907 to present) Indexes journal articles and some book reviews on all social sciences subjects, including history, political science, international relations, law, economics, area studies, gender studies, anthropology, psychology, and sociology.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks ""
      • Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?
    • Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
      (1975 to present) Indexes articles on a broad array of political science and international relations topics; international in scope.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: automatic
      • Wildcard: use a question mark ?