Research Guides: History Research Guide: Reference Sources

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When searching for reference sources in OneSearch, consider using terms such as bibliography, biographical, dictionary, encyclopedia, cyclopedia, companion and handbook as search terms.

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The search engine for materials owned by the library, both on the shelf and online. Also provides millions of full text article and citation records harvested from publishers, open access repositories, and a large percentage of the library's licensed databases. Click here to view a list of databases with content not findable or only partially findable in OneSearch.
Tip: Remember to check "Include Results without Full Text" in the left-hand facets of OneSearch to expand your results set to citations matching your research interests; full-text can be acquired through interlibrary loan and delivered to you free of charge in a short amount of time.

General Reference Sources

Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
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Continuously updated full text collection of over 880 general and subject specific titles from 116 publishers with particular emphasis on encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, and reference handbooks.

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
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Full text of the 20 volume OED, with both present-day meanings and the history of individual words and language.

Dictionaries, Encyclopedias and Biographies

Dictionaries

Dictionary of British History (Ebook)
This dictionary describes the people and events that have shaped and defined domestic, political, social, and cultural life in Britain since 55 B.C.
Middle English Compendium
Middle English Dictionary, a HyperBibliography of Middle English prose and verse, and a Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse

Encyclopedias

Canadian Encyclopedia Online

Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
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Large collection of specialized encyclopedias and dictionaries across disciplines.
Cambridge Histories Online This link opens in a new window
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Full text of over 300 reference volumes published by Cambridge History, with a concentration on political and cultural history, literature, philosophy, religious studies, music and the arts. NOTE: The library has only licensed books published through 2016.

Biographies

American National Biography Online This link opens in a new window
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This is a biographical dictionary of notable American men and women.
Dictionary of Irish Biography This link opens in a new window
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Full text biographical essays of over 10,000 notable Irish men and women who made a significant contribution in Ireland and abroad, from earliest times to 2013. Moved to an open access database in 2021.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography This link opens in a new window
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An illustrated collection of more than 57,000 specially written biographies of the men and women from around the world who shaped all aspects of Britain's past.
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Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library

History Research Guide

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General Reference Sources

Dictionaries, Encyclopedias and Biographies

Dictionaries

Encyclopedias