Reference books and articles (encyclopedias, almanacs, etc.) are a great way to start a research project. Brainstorm topic ideas and get background information and words to use when you're searching for more, and especially use the reference lists for suggestions of relevant books and articles.

Note: this list is just to get you started. Entries in these reference books will not be detailed enough for your final paper. You'll need to consult many more books and journals in the library collection! Use Catalyst to search for more books and articles.

Tip: It's good practice to start a research journal to organize the articles, books, websites, and data you find useful during your research.  Also keep track of the interesting arguments and ideas that come to you as you're searching.  It's less important how and where you keep track than that you do keep track.  Here are two different examples using Google Docs.