Classics: Reference Sources

Reference sources (encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, manuals, etc.) provide specific facts, definitions, summaries and backgroundl information. They contain authoritative, well established information and are particularly useful when you are just starting your research. Look to them to:

• find basic concepts and viewpoints of your topic;
• get the historical context and relationships to other topics;
• identify and define special terms used to discuss the topic;
• identify the leading researchers and authors on your topic; and
• find or verify data, facts, and formulas.

When you start to plan research it is always a good idea to begin with reference sources.  This will give you a broad overview of a topic and may help you to either narrow broad topics or broaden narrow topics. 

• Credo Reference Collection of more than 400 full-text online reference sources. Sources includes audio, images, and links to library resources. See Credo Reference LibGuide for Classics: http://credoreference.libguides.com/classics
• Oxford English Dictionary  Obtain definition and word etimologies from this classic, multi-volume set
• Dictionary of Literary Biography Complete Provides more than 16,000 biographical and critical essays onthe lives, works, and careers of the world's most influential literary figures ...
• Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts Covers all aspects of the study of language including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics
• The Oxford Classical Dictionary  
• Classical Studies: A Guide to the Reference Literature