Reference Sources

Reference materials are dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases, etc. and are great places to begin your research. The library has an entire room of these materials on the first floor of Seymour Library and in the Science & Math Center library. Additionally, the library subscribes to a large number of these resources online. This means entire encyclopedias are available for you to search online. Two online providers you are likely to encounter are: Credo Reference and Sage eReference.

The following list of selected reference sources is organized by subject using the Library of Congress classification. You may wish to consult a reference librarian for assistance in using this online collection or the print reference collections in the Seymour and Science & Math Center libraries.

Some items in this list (marked with the   symbol) are only available to Knox College students, faculty and staff. If you are not connected to the Knox network, see the instructions for accessing resources from off-campus.

• A: General
• B: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion
• C-D: World History
• E-F: U.S. & Latin American History
• G: Geography, Anthropology, Sports
• H-HJ: Economics
• HM-HX: Sociology
• J: Political Science
• K: Law
• L: Education
• M: Music
• N: Fine Arts
• P: Language & Literature
• Q: Science, Math, Computer Science
• R: Medicine
• S, T: Agriculture, Technology
• Z: Bibliography

A: General

• Bloomsbury Guide to Human Thought
  
• Book Review Index Plus
• Copyright Clearance Center
• Credo Reference 
• Encyclopaedia Britannica Online
• Internet Public Library 2 Reference Center
• OED: Oxford English Dictionary
• Voice of the Shuttle
• World Almanac

B: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion

• Annual Review of Psychology
• Arts and Humanities Through the Eras
• Atlas of the Bible
• Bioethics Research Library at Georgetown University
• Bloomsbury Dictionary of Myth
• Buros Ceneter for Testing
• Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy
• Concise Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science
• Counseling and Therapy in Video
• Dictionary of Jewish Lore and Legend
• Encyclopaedia Judaica
• The Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment
• Macmillan Dictionary of the Bible
• Milestone Documents of World Religions
• Penguin Dictionary of Psychology
• Philosopher's Index
• PsycInfo
• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
• Who's Who in Christianity
• Who's Who in Classical Mythology
• Who's Who in the New Testament
• Who's Who in the Old Testament

C-D: World History

• Andromeda Encyclopedic Dictionary of World History
• Arts and Humanities Through the Eras
• Companion to British History
• Concise Atlas of World History
• Dictionary of British History
• Dictionary of Contemporary History - 1945 to the present
• Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity
• Encyclopedia of Modern Asia
• Encyclopaedia of the Renaissance
• A Guide to the Ancient World
• The Hutchinson Chronology of World History
• Macmillan Dictionary of Women's Biography
• The Oxford Encyclopedia of African Thought
• The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt
• Penguin Biographical Dictionary of Women
• TOCS-IN: Tables of Contents of Journals of Interest to Classicists
• Who's Who in The Roman World

E-F: U.S. & Latin American History

• Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy
• Encyclopedia of North American Indians
• Great American History Fact-Finder
• The Handbook of Latin American Studies
• Historical Statistics of the United States
• The Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures
• The Reader's Companion to American History
• The Reader's Companion to U.S. Women's History
• The Sixties in America
• Who's Who in America

G: Geography, Anthropology, Sports

• Annual Review of Anthropology
• Annual Review of Sociology
• Anthropological Index of the Royal Anthropological Institute
• CIA World Factbook
• Collins World Atlas Gazetteer
• Dictionary of Human Geography
• Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion
• Encyclopedia of Ecology and Environmental Management
• Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary
• Houghton Mifflin Dictionary of Geography
• Oxford Encyclopedia of Meso-American Cultures
• Philip's World Geo-Factbook
• U.S. Census Bureau's Mapping and Cartographic Resources
• U.S.Gazetteer
• Who's Who in Gay and Lesbian History

H-HJ: Economics

• Economic Policy Institute DataZone
• Dictionary of Human Resources & Personnel Management
• FedStats is a gateway to statistics from over 100 federal agencies.
• Historical Statistics of the United States
• Penguin Business Dictionary
• Penguin Dictionary of Economics
• Statistical Abstract of the United States
• U.S. Census Bureau

HM-HX: Sociology

• Annual Review of Sociology
• The Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology
• FedStats is a gateway to statistics from over 100 federal agencies.
• Historical Statistics of the United States
• NCJRS: National Criminal Justice Reference Service abstracts
• Penguin Dictionary of Sociology
• SocINDEX
• Statistical Abstract of the United States
• U.S. Census 2000 State & County Statistical QuickFacts
• U.S. Census Bureau
• World of Criminal Justice
• World of Sociology

J: Political Science

• Almanac of American Politics
• Biographical Directory of the American Congress
• CQ Weekly Online
• Dictionary of Government and Politics
• Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy
• Encyclopedia of the European Union
• Find-It! Illinois is the portal to Illinois government information from the Secretary of State's office.
• Historical Statistics of the United States
• National Journal collection
• Political Database of the Americas from Georgetown University Center for Latin American Studies provides primary information such election data and texts of country constutions.
• Thomas for texts of legislation and the Congressional Record.

K: Law

• Dictionary of Conflict Resolution
• Illinois Compiled Statutes
• U.S. Code (official site)

L: Education

• College catalogs from CollegeSource
• Educator's Reference Desk
• Encyclopedia of Curriculum Studies
• Illinois Researcher Information Service (IRIS) for grants information.
• National Center for Education Statistics
• UNESCO International Bureau of Education: World Data on Education

M: Music

• Arts and Humanities Through the Eras
• The Faber Companion to 20th Century Popular Music
• Grove Music Online (via Oxford Music Online)  
• Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music
• Harvard Dictionary of Music
• Oxford Companion to Music (via Oxford Music Online)  
• Oxford Dictionary of Music (via Oxford Music Online)  
• Oxford History of Western Music
• Oxford Music Online  
• Penguin Dictionary of Music

N: Fine Arts

• Arts and Humanities Through the Eras
• ArtStor (If you are access from off-campus, click here.)
• The Bloomsbury Guide to Art
• Bridgeman Art Library Archive
• The Grove Encyclopedia of Classical Art and Architecture  
• Thames & Hudson Dictionary of 20th Century Architecture
• Thames & Hudson Dictionary of 20th Century Design and Designers
• Thames & Hudson Dictionary Art and Artists
• Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Art Terms
• Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Fashion and Fashion Designers
• Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Graphic Design and Designers

P: Language & Literature

• American Heritage® Dictionary Idioms
• American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language
• The American Verse Project is a completely searchable collection of volumes of American poetry published before1920.
• Arts and Humanities Through the Eras
• Bloomsbury Dictionary of English Literature
• Bloomsbury Thematic Dictionary of Quotations
• Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, Millennium Edition
• The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English
• The Cambridge Guide to Theatre
• The Cambridge Guide to Women's Writing in English
• Collins French Dictionary
• Collins German Dictionary
• Collins Italian Dictionary
• Collins Latin Dictionary
• Collins Spanish Dictionary
• Continuum Companion to Twentieth Century Theatre
• The Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature
• Dictionary of Shakespeare
• The Oxford Encyclopedia of Rhetoric
• Facets Multi-media catalog
• Gothic Literature: A Gale Critical Companion
• Internet Movie Database
• MLA Bibliography
• Oxford English Dictionary
• Oxford Language Dictionaries Online  
• The Penguin Rhyming Dictionary
• Rawson's Dictionary of American Quotations
• Roget's II: The New Thesaurus
• Salem Literature -- reference books
• Simpson's Contemporary Quotations

Q: Science, Math, Computer Science

• Academic Press Dictionary of Science and Technology
• Annual Review of Biochemistry
• Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics
• Annual Review of Entomology
• Annual Review of Genetics
• Annual Review of Immunology
• Annual Review of Microbiology
• Annual Review of Physical Chemistry
• Annual Review of Plant Biology
• Chemical Abstracts is available to Knox faculty, students & staff through STN on the Web. Please contact a reference librarian to use this database.
• Collins Dictionary of Biology
• Collins Dictionary of Computing
• Dictionary of Developmental Biology and Embryology
• Encyclopedia of Evolution
• JSTOR Plant Science
• MathSciNet 
• McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
• Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics
• Penguin Dictionary of Physics
• Plant Sciences

R: Medicine

• Annual Review of Biochemistry
• Annual Review of Immunology
• Annual Review of Pharmacology & Toxicology
• Bailliere's Midwives' Dictionary
• Black's Medical Dictionary, 41st Edition
• Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary
• Human Diseases and Conditions
• Macmillan Dictionary of Toxicology
• Mosby's Handbook of Herbs & Natural Supplements
• National Center for Health Statistics
• National Reference Center for Bioethics Literature
• Pharmaceutical Medicine Dictionary
• The Royal Society of Medicine Health Encyclopedia
• The Royal Society of Medicine: Medicines
• Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary

S & T: Agriculture, Technology

• Benders' Dictionary of Nutrition and Food Technology
• Dictionary of Multimedia and Internet Applications: A Guide for Developers and Users
• NAL Catalog from the National Agricultural Library
• The New Food Lover's Companion
• The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America  

Z: Bibliography

• Chicago Manual of Style Online
• Choice Reviews Online
• Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers
• Dictionary of Library and Information Management
• Dictionary of Printing and Publishing
• NUCMC: National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections
• Oxford Companion to the Book