Using Reference Sources to Find Background Information
Library reference sources such as encyclopedias and dictionaries are a great place to find background information on your topic, such as scientific terms, definitions, and dates. Reference sources can also help you narrow your topic and discover keywords for further searching.
Online Reference Sources
To access these reference databases from off campus, you will be prompted to log in with your Pipeline username and password.
Contains the full text of over 1,000 encyclopedias, dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries, and other reference books covering all major subject areas. Thousands of Topics Pages provide articles from different reference sources, arranged by subject. Includes “gadgets” for finding images, definitions, people, pronunciations, quotations, and measurement conversations, as well as a concept map feature for help identifying keywords and broadening or narrowing a topic. Additional features include videos, maps, and animations.
Contains the full text of encyclopedias and specialized reference sources. Subjects covered include arts, biography, business, education, environment, history, law, literature, medicine, multicultural studies, government and political science, religion, science, and social sciences.
Print Reference Sources
The following reference books are located in the Luria Library reference section. Ask a librarian for help finding the best book for your topic.
Recreates the 3.5-billion-year story of life on Earth through illustrations and graphics, photographs, and informative text. Includes an index of the hundreds of species shown in the illustrations and introductory articles on evolution.
This tutorial examines how to identify, find, and use background information to help you choose and/or refine your topic.
If you have trouble accessing this tutorial from off campus, try logging into My.SBCC.edu in a different browser tab, then reloading this page. If that doesn't work, follow the direct link above to open the tutorial outside of this guide.