What reference books do for you
Reference books provide concise, widely accepted, and accurate factual detail and background relevant to a great number of research topics and questions. By exploring those relevant to your own research, you will improve your ability to focus your research, choose relevant sources, and understand what you find.
There are many kinds of useful reference books: dictionaries, general encyclopedias, specialized encyclopedias, biographical sources, almanacs, statistics sources, chronologies, atlases, handbooks, directories, and compilations.
How to choose a reference book
Different kinds of reference books can be useful. A specialized encyclopedia can be an especially good place to start your research, since it will provide an overview of your topic and indicate some of the key related books and articles. Libraries have many specialized encyclopedias, covering a wide range of disciplines and topics.
Here are some examples of the kinds of specialized encyclopedias and other reference sources you will find in HCCS libraries, along with examples of topics they cover.
Some Reference Book Examples
| Reference Book: | Useful for: |
| American Writers | American literature |
| Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations | Countries and cultures |
| Occupational Outlook Handbook | Careers |
| Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ("DSM") | A wide range of disorders and conditions |
Where to find a reference book
The best place to find reference materials is in a good library. No lie. Unfortunately, many outstanding reference publications are simply not available online! You will have to go to a library to use them. But making the effort to explore them early in the research process can pay off big later on.
You can find some online, e-Reference books mainly at three locations in the HCCS libraries website:
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