Reference books such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks and biographies help you find factual and background information about your topic.
It is advisable to look at more than one source of information to get the most information and to have a more balanced view of the topic.
Google and Wikipedia could be good places to start your search for general and initial ideas about your topic. But you will always have to use Library resources to get more credible information.
Check a list of subject specific encyclopedias
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Interactive encyclopedias, statistical data, case studies, country report ... Compendia User Guides
Selected titles
Encyclopedia of Pest Management by 
Encyclopedia of Plant and Crop Science by Encyclopedia of Plants & Flowers from 
help you identify houseplants as well as outdoor plants.
Find plant names, pesticide names, plant nurseries in North America and more.
Agricultural Thesaurus and Glossary from the National Agricultural Library - United States Department of Agriculture
