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.
A selection of online encyclopedias:
A selection of print encyclopedias:
Use SearchAll to find articles, books, conference papers, e-reserves, & more. Limit your search results to Reference.
Search Collections of Handbooks
Use the Library Catalog to search for books, try keyword and subject searching e.g. "Middle East " and encyclopedia.
