General Reference Resources

Reference materials provide well-researched information—for example, facts, definitions, histories, overviews of a topic, statistics—on a large subject area (e.g., sociology or dance) or for a type of data (e.g., biographies or directories). They pack lots of information into one easy-to-find place, and support student research in a number of ways:

• Quick access to simple, reliable, factual information in sources such as dictionaries, polls, and biographies.
• General overviews and introductions to fields and terms you may not be familiar with in sources such as encyclopedias and topical guidebooks.
• Referral to additional information sources that offer more detail or lead to journal articles and other kinds of materials, such as subject-specific indexes and encyclopedias.

This guide focuses on general, online, reference sources that support the University’s academic mission. The majority of resources included are licensed by the UC Irvine Libraries, but some publicly accessible websites and databases are also listed.

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