Encyclopedias and Reference Collections
Use these sources of science explanations, overviews and introductions in order to...
- Discover a topic that interests you
- Quickly learn more about an unfamiliar topic
- Explore your topic from a different perspective (e.g. ethical, ecological; psychological)
- See how your chosen topic relates to other topics, contexts, & the 'bigger picture'
- Identify useful keywords to use when searching databases for articles
- Find Background Sources Using LibrarySearchClick to see an illustration of the library's rich & diverse collection of encyclopedias, dictionaries & handbooks covering biology-related topics. Narrow your subject focus by clicking 'Search Criteria' and 'ADD A NEW LINE' to add appropriate search terms.
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowAn online, cross-searchable collection of dictionaries and encyclopedias from more than 50 publishers on a variety of subjects; includes encyclopedias on paleontology, human genome, and more.
- EBooks (Gale) This link opens in a new windowCross-searchable collection of over 25 reference titles from Gale, including encyclopedias on bioethics, environmental ethics, public health, animal life, scientific biography, history of ideas, and more.
- SAGE Knowledge This link opens in a new windowCross-searchable collection of more thatn 100 encyclopedias and handbooks from SAGE, including encyclopedias on stem cell research, nanoscience, epidemiology, global warming, green cities, the mind, and more.
Get your research off to a good start!
Still can't decide on a topic, & looking for inspiration? Try searching some of the "News & Issues" resources linked from the left-hand menu in this guide.