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Doing Research

an introduction to the research process for students working on papers or their extended essay

Why Use Reference Books?

Reference books, such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, and  handbooks, can be a great place to begin research on your topic. 

They will often give you a good overview of a topic, background information, specific details, or statistics. In addition, they can point you to other useful sources of information for your research.

The reference books in the Senior Library at SPHLV are located on the left side of the room and all have "REF" on the spine label above the call number.

Online Reference Books

Collections of online reference books allow you to search the full-text of multiple titles that might cover your research topic.

Encyclopedias / Dictionaries / Handbooks

In addition to general encyclopedias (like the Encyclopaedia Britannica) and almanacs, the library owns specialized reference sources for many different topics. The list below shows some examples of what we have in the library -- both as print copies in the reference section, or online.

These strategies will help you to best utilize reference materials in your research:

  • Use the index to locate your topic.  A given topic may be found in multiple volumes or contained within an article on a related subject.
  • Use the table of contents to browse a list of articles that are included.  This is particularly useful if you have a broad topic that you'd like to refine or narrow.
  • Use the references at the end of each article to find the sources that the article was based on.