When you begin a research project, it is useful to consult appropriate reference sources for a quick introduction to the topic. This will help you to become familiar with the terms, concepts, and ideas involved in your research.

Reference works include such things as encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri, atlases, annual reviews, almanacs, directories, yearbooks, statistical compendia, factbooks, indexes, and bibliographies. These sources can cover a broad range of subjects, such as Encyclopedia Britannica, or they can be restricted to a specific subject, such as Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

With an introductory or summary reference, you can quickly gain a good general understanding of the issues so that you can better search for and evaluate books, journal articles, and other more extensive sources of information for your research.

Consult reference sources for

• Introductions to a topic
• Brief, comprehensive summaries of a topic
• Key terms and names to search for in indexes and databases
• Lists of secondary and primary sources for more extensive and detailed information elsewhere
• Facts or statistics to defend or illustrate a statement or conclusion

Using reference sources

• Reference sources are compilations of brief and specific bits of information, not intended to be read cover to cover as are regular books.
• Use tables of contents and indexes to help you quickly and efficiently find sections relevant to your topic. For example, encyclopedias often have indexes which indicate all the articles which discuss a certain topic; thus, you can find much more on a topic in an encyclopedia by using the index than you could by just looking up the main article on the topic.
• Reference books are often formatted and presented in different ways, so always refer to introductory guides and instruction sections so that you will know how to use them most effectively.

To find reference sources relevant to your topic

• Ask a librarian for assistance
• Search for your topic in the CTW Online Catalog; click to "Set Limits" and for "Location/Item Type" select "Reference."
• Browse the stacks in the reference collection in the appropriate subject areas.
  Books in the reference collection are shelved by subject. To find the appropriate section, ask a librarian, or consult the list of call number subject locations on the wall in the reference area. See the section on Call Numbers for more information.
• Browse the list of online reference sources on the library's Online Reference Collection.