Academic Inquiry Seminar (AIQS)

When to Use Reference Sources

Reference sources can provide you with very quick access to basic information on a given topic. They can be a great introduction to a topic by offering a general overview and background. This can be a great place to start thinking about research questions, more specific topics, and keywords to start searching.

The most obvious reference source that we probably all immediately think of is Wikipedia.  Wikipedia can provide you with basic factual information that's easy to read and understand.  However! be aware that the content on Wikipedia is not always correct. Wikipedia relies on it's own users to write, verify, and edit articles which can result in biases and inaccuracies. While Wikipedia is usually not an acceptable source to cite, it does list it's own citations for you to follow and read. 

Fortunately KSL provides many other excellent, scholarly reference sources that are just as easy to get to as Wikipedia, and will give you information that you can actually use in your papers, as well as pointers to other sources.  Using a source like these will get your research going quickly and smoothly.  Below are some examples.

Some reference sources are general in nature, not specific to any given discipline.  One example might be the Oxford English Dictionary (OED).  The OED is considered the "definitive record of the English language," and is the source one might want to use to find out how a word has been used over time.  It tracks the etymology of words as well as their use in written English, with quotations given for each word of examples of how it appeared over time.

KSL has the OED in print version, as well as a subscription to the electronic version (be sure to use VPN if you are using wireless on campus or if you are off campus!)

How about encyclopedia sources?  We've got loads, and they are nothing like the plain old encyclopedias you remember from elementary school.  Or Wikipedia for that matter.

Academics publish scholarly encyclopedias, which are compendia of articles on a given topic within a field.  Some of these encyclopedias are multi-volume and cover a very large field of study, like the Encyclopedia of Religion (which we have both in print and online.)  Experts are chosen to write about some aspect of the topic- say the Biblical Mary.  What you have then, is usually a several-page article on a given topic, which gives you history and an overview of the scholarship on that topic.

Most important about these entries are:

• They are what we call "signed entries"- you'll see the author's name at the end of the article (unlike Wikipedia!)
• They include the expert's bibliography on the topic.  The author of the entry points you to the other sources she thinks are most important about the topic.  This is an excellent shortcut for you!

You'll find that there are thousands of these scholarly sources.  There are a couple of places you can go to find them for YOUR topic:

• One very useful collection is the Oxford Reference Online collection of dictionaries, handbooks and encyclopedias published by the Oxford University Press.
• OhioLink has thousands of these kinds of sources on their searchable OhioLink ebook Center.
• There is a large collection of scholarly reference books available on the Kelvin Smith Library's ebook page.
• KSL collection specialists have created subject research guides for each academic department at CWRU.  These guides will point you to sources in each field.
• Finally, don't forget to ask a librarian for suggestions.  We like to be asked questions!