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Reference Resources

This guide is for finding factual information in reliable references resources in the library and online.

Welcome

Wordle: reference

Welcome to the Reference Resource Guide.

This guide provides information about encyclopedias, dictionaries and other sources for factual and reliable information.

Types of Research Literature

Primary literature-- reports original ideas and first-hand research findings. Examples : journal articles, conference papers, dissertations or master theses, technical reports and patents.

Secondary literature -- organizes, analyzes, evaluates, and repackages new information reported by researchers in primary literature. Examples : review articles in journals, review serials, textbooks, dictionaries, encyclopedias, treatises, handbooks and data compilations.

Depending on the effort involved in their compilation, the various secondary works require different periods of time to repackage new knowledge.

  • Review articles or review serials: one or more years after the new primary works appear.
  • Textbooks, dictionaries, encyclopedias, treatises, handbooks and data compilations: two or more years after the new primary works appear.

Databases

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