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Usually focused on a particular subject, annuals and yearbooks present data and statistics from a given year. Their primary purpose is to compile the year's activities in to an arrangement by country, subject or specialized area. Annuals and yearbooks are usually located in the Reference Collection of the Library.
| The Statesman's Yearbook: The Politics, Cultures and Economies of the World | Global REF JA 51.S7 |
Biographies are dictionaries and indexes devoted exclusively to information about people. Information included in biographical sources usually includes the place and date of birth, details about the person's education and major work experiences, character, personality, and contributions to their chosen field. Biographical sources vary as to how much detailed coverage provided.
| The International Who's Who | Global REF CT 120. I5 |
Books are written or printed works produced by one or more authors. Individuals or committees with expertise in the field often edit books. Because they provide comprehensive information on their subject at the time of publication, books are very valuable in the research process. For many subject areas this is the best starting point for research. Many books contain valuable bibliographies at end of each chapter or at the close of the book. This provides an excellent entry point into the subject material as well to the authors publishing in a particular field of study.
Critical Surveys are attempts to “survey” the field of literature for a particular time and place, with attention to high, and even low, points. Such surveys discuss the works of authors who are considered to be the most important, exemplary of the era, widely read, and or critically regarded. Surveys include information on literary forms and styles of the era. Literary Histories describe the significant literary events of each period or era.
| Israel Yesterday and Today: a Photographic Survey of the Building of a Nation | DS 126.5 .G64 |
| Sects, Cults, and Alternative Religions: a World Survey and Sourcebook | BP 603 .B37 |
| Tropical Rainforest: a World Survey of our Most Valuable and Endangered Habitat with a Blueprint for its Survival | QH 541.5 .R27 N49 |
Online information databases are large, regularly updated collections of digitized information -- including but not limited to abstracts and full text articles from journals and newspapers, conference proceedings and submitted papers, dissertations, government reports, essays, book chapters, web pages, etc. The content is created by publishers who release print versions, then lease the rights to their information to database vendors. Database records are easy to search and retrieve because the content of each record has been analyzed and assigned appropriate subject headings, keywords, names, etc. New records are regularly downloaded from the producer of each database.
In order to access these resources off-campus, you must first obtain the passwords.
If you are looking for a specific journal within a database, use the E-Journal Portal. It returns the names of databases which contain the desired journal.
A dictionary is any single or multi-volume work which briefly explains terms and topics related to a specific subject, usually arranged alphabetically. Dictionary entries are usually shorter than those found in an encyclopedia. Dictionaries assist with the understanding of terminology and concepts, suggest synonyms, related terms, and scientific names, and are useful resources to consult when formulating and refining your research strategy. Often illustrations and references to additional resources are included.
| Dictionary of 20th Century World History | Global D 419. P32 |
| Dictionary of the Middle East | Global REF DS 43 .H57 |
| Dictionary of World Biography | Global REF CT 104 .D54 |
| International Dictionary of Thoughts | Global REF PN 6331 .B7553 |
| Oxford Dictionary of the World | Global REF G 103.5 .O94 |
| Oxford Dictionary of World Religions | Global REF BL 31 .O84 |
Encyclopedias are among the most widely used reference sources and contain articles of varying lengths covering all fields of knowledge. Typically encyclopedias cover many topics but without going into a great deal of depth on any one thing. Encyclopedias are a good starting point for researching topics that you do not know much about or that are completely new to you. They can give you background information which can help when you move to more in-depth sources later. Specialized encyclopedias may cover just one field or even a sub-unit of that field. Subject encyclopedias can be consulted for detailed or technical information on a subject.
| The African American Encyclopedia | Global REF E 185. A253 |
| Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt | Global REF DT 58. D96 |
| Encyclopedia of Cuba | Global F 1754. E53 |
| Encyclopedia of Cultural Anthropology | Global REF GN 307. E52 |
| Encyclopedia of Global Change | Global REF R 362.7 E56 |
| Encyclopedia of Multiculturism | Global REF E 184. A1 E58 |
| Encyclopedia of World Authors | Global REF PN 41. M26 |
| Encyclopedia of World Cultures | Global REF GN 307. E53 |
| Encyclopedia of World History | Global REF D 21. E577 |
| Encyclopedia of World Terrorism | Global REF HV 6431. E53 |
| Encyclopedic World Atlas | Global REF G 1021. G417 |
| The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Women's Issues Worldwide | Global REF HQ 1115. G74 |
| The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Mankind | Global REF GN 307. I44 |
| Macmillan Encyclopedia of World Religions | Global REF BL 82. W67 |
| Mexico: An Encyclopedia of Contemporary Culture and History | Global REF F 1234. C67 |
| Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures | Global REF F 1218.6. O95 |
| Oxford Encyclopedia of Modern Islamic World | Global REF DS 35.53. O95 |
| Shamanism: an Encyclopedia of World Beliefs, Practices, and Culture | REF GN 475.8. S445 |
| World Geographical Encyclopedia | Global REF G 63. E5213 |
Government information is generated by local, state, national, and international governments on almost all topics. Most government information is undergoing a major shift from traditional formats such as print and microfiche, to a variety of electronic formats available through the Internet. Government information is considered to be a primary, authoritative and reliable resource. To find government information on your topic, search the library catalog, specialized indexes, and government agency web sites.
Handbooks, manuals and guides are resources which supply concise factual and statistical information often in the form of charts, graphs, tables and formulas. These sources have very basic information, with little or no discussion or analysis of the facts they present. They cover a wide variety of topics, and as with other reference sources, these tools may be general or specific to a field, group of people, or era. These sources are frequently updated, which makes them valuable for locating current information. Try searching the online catalog using the keywords of your topic combined with one of the following keywords: handbook, manual or guide.
| The Blackwell Companion To Cultural Studies | HM 623 .B55 |
| The Eliade Guide to World Religions | BL 80.2 .E415 |
| India: A Global Studies Handbook | DS 407 .B63 |
| Religions of the World: the Illustrated Guide to Origins, Beliefs, Traditions & Festivals | BL 80.2 .B744 |
| Thematic Guide to World Mythology | REF BL 312. S76 |
Journals are scholarly periodicals which publish current research and commentary on their specific field of study. Most scholarly journals are peer-reviewed which means they have been reviewed and verified by a panel of experts in the field.
If you are looking for an electronic edition of a specific journal, use the E-Journal Portal. It returns the names of databases which contain the desired journal.