CONTENTS: Introduction Dictionaries and Encyclopedias Almanacs Bibliographies Biographical Dictionaries Concordances Directories Chronologies Atlases and Gazetteers Handbooks and Manuals Statistics BACK TO: Library Homepage Library Instruction Page

Reference Tools

Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

DICTIONARIES give definitions, spellings, and pronunciations of words. One of the most highly respected is the Oxford English Dictionary.

But there are many other subject-focused dictionaries that will give you more extensive definitions. Examples:

To find dictionaries in the library catalog, do a keyword search combining a broad subject with the word dictionary. This search works best if you truncate the word dictionar$.

Example: medicine and dictionar$

There are also several excellent online dictionaries such as the Oxford English Dictionary and many others available at the LSU Libraries' Ready Reference webpage

ENCYCLOPEDIAS give comprehensive background information about various topics. One of the most highly respected is the Encyclopedia Brittanica

But there are many more subject-focused encyclopedias that would give you more extensive information. Examples:

To find encyclopedias in the library catalog, do a keyword search combining a broad subject with the word encyclopedia This search works best if you truncate the word encyclopedia$.

Example: psychology and encyclopedia$

There are also several online encyclopedias such as the Columbia Encyclopedia available at the LSU Libraries' Ready Reference webpage

          

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