Harold & Wilma Good Library: Biol 120: Cell Biology and Genetics (Jody Saylor): Encyclopaedias & Dictionaries

Starting a Search

Before you begin searching for information, you should thoroughly understand the topic you are researching. Dictionaries, subject dictionaries, and encyclopaedias are a good place to begin. Dictionaries provide definitions of unfamiliar terms, while encyclopedias give explanations and succinct overviews of topics.

Key Encyclopadeia / Dictionary Sources

CREDO Reference
Professionally developed subject encyclopedia collection. Similar to Wikipedia yet with articles written by known subject experts.
Credo Reference is a multidisciplinary collection of subject encyclopedias and dictionaries. Developed with beginning researchers in mind, it includes resources to help develop search terms, as well as bibliographies that directly link to the library catalog. A strength is the robust quality of the articles written, while a weakness is that it is missing obscure topics. Subscription.
Oxford Reference Premium Online
Broad selection of books for reliable, brief entries on many subjects.
Oxford Reference is a collection of electronic encyclopedias and dictionaries published by Oxford University Press. Its strength comes from Oxford University Press reputation, but many of the results are very short entries. Subscription.