Where do reference resources (encyclopedias) fit into your research?  They are great tools for research tasks like:

1. getting an overview of your topic
2. finding out what research has been done in your area over a long period of time
3. discovering synonyms or keywords that will apply to your topic
4. creating a list of authors to investigate
5. 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.

A handbook is a concise reference book covering a particular subject.