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Searching for reference sources
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Where do reference resources (encyclopedias) fit into your research? They are great tools for research tasks like:
- getting an overview of your topic
- finding out what research has been done in your area over a long period of time
- discovering synonyms or keywords that will apply to your topic
- creating a list of authors to investigate
- discovering additional resources in the bibliography
Using the Catalyst search box above, you can do a keyword search and narrow down your results to "reference entries" on the left-hand side, after you have run a search. This will allow you to discover reference articles by name and the encyclopedias where those can be found.
Selected Reference Resources
- JapanKnowledge Lib This link opens in a new window
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Collection of encyclopedia, dictionaries, reference compilations, and periodical resources about Japan. - Oxford Research Encyclopedias This link opens in a new window
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Comprehensive, scholarly, in-depth, and peer-reviewed summaries on a wide range of topics. Carleton has access to the full Religion, Asian History, African History, American History, Classical Studies, Climate Change,Communications, Education, Food Studies , International Studies , Politics, Psychology and Linguistics encyclopedias, plus selected articles from other encyclopedias. - Cambridge Histories Online This link opens in a new window
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(Searches through citations and the full text)
An authoritative full text collection of the history of scholarship in several different academic subjects. Includes over 260 volumes published since 1960 by Cambridge University Press.
Encyclopedia of Modern China by 
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Call Number: Online resourcePublication Date: 2009More information in Catalyst
Provides critical information on the most populous country and most dynamic trade market in the world: the people, politics, economics, religion, philosophy, traditions, art, and literature of this ancient and enduring civilization are explored from the beginning of the nineteenth century to the present day.
General reference sources
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
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(Searches through citations and the full text)
Provides full access to hundreds of subject encyclopedias, dictionaries, biographical information, images, bibliographies, and links to journal articles, books, and online sources. - Reference Universe This link opens in a new window
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(Searches through citation information)
Searches the indexes of our library's print reference books. When you find an entry you'd like to read, click the "Locate this book" button or put the title of the reference book into Catalyst to find the book's location in the Reference Collection. - Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window
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(Searches through citations and the full text)
Search across all of Carleton's online reference sources from Oxford University Press, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, timelines, and quotations. - Oxford Bibliographies This link opens in a new window
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(Searches through citations, subject indexing, and some full text)
This is a key starting place for research in several different fields, providing bibliographies on current scholarship on topics from the social sciences and humanities. - Britannica Online Academic Edition This link opens in a new window
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(Searches through citations and the full text)
Includes the Encyclopædia Britannica, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and Thesaurus, Britannica Student Encyclopedia and the Britannica Book of the Year. - Oxford Dictionaries This link opens in a new window
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Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Chinese, and Arabic. - Brill Online This link opens in a new window
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(Searches through citations, subject indexing, and some full text)
A selection of authoritative subject encyclopedias and reference works. Includes Brill's New Pauly, the Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics, the Encyclopedia of China, the Encyclopedia of Hinduism, the Encyclopedia of Islam (2nd and 3rd editions), the Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World, the Encyclopedia of the Neo-Latin World, the Encyclopedia of the Qurʾān, and Qurʾānic Studies Online. - CQ Political Handbook of the World This link opens in a new window
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(Searches through citations and the full text)
Provides brief country and political system information from standard sources such as Freedom House, Pippa Norris’ “democracy type” adapted from Freedom House rankings, and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA). Also includes maps. Note: You can also search across all of the CQ Press reference resources here.
