Quick Facts

• Used mostly for background information, definitions, or statistics on various subjects
• Different types of reference sources contain different types of information, so use the right one
• Oxford Reference Online is a good general starting point

A variety of reference sources are found in the categories listed above. Each type of source, with the exception of Oxford Reference Online, contains a different type of information. Oxford Reference Online is a collection of various types of reference sources published by Oxford University Press.

You can return to the main list of subjects from one of the categories by clicking on the Reference heading.

About the categories

Atlases contains links to both atlases and gazetteers. Atlases are collections of maps. Gazetteers give geographical information without a map. The CIA World Factbook gives summaries of the political features of every country in the world.

Dictionaries provide definitions of words. They man focus on a single subject. The Oxford Dictionary of English is a good general dictionary. The Oxford English Dictionary is one of the most comprehensive dictionaries of English and provides word histories as well as first verifiable usage. Also included in this section are the MedlinePlus Medical Dictionary, the American Sign Language Browser, and the Oxford American Thesaurus. A thesaurus provides lists of words that have both similar and opposite meanings for thousands of terms.

Encyclopedias are sources that describe topics rather than define words. The provide background information on a wide variety of subjects. Among the best is the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Government provides access to USA.gov, the official web site of the United States Government. It contains a search engine that focuses on the information that is published on Federal web sites.

News Sources links to a variety of news websites. If you are looking for older information from the Anchorage Daily News, Fairbanks Newsminer, or Juneau Empire, please use the "Archives" link instead of going directly to their websites.

Phone Numbers links to the online directories for both ACS and MTA.

Statistics has links for Alaska, United States, and worldwide statistics. Alaska links to the Alaska Statistics Index produced by the Alaska State Library. United States links to FedStats.gov, a search engine of the statistical information produced by U.S. government agencies. World links to sources collected by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. Additional sources are available by clicking on the "More" link, which will take you to a page of sources maintained by the UAA Consortium Library.

Style Guides provides links to sources that provide information on how to cite the sources used in your papers. Links to information specifically for APA, Chicago/Turabian, CBE, and MLA are provided. In addition, the American Handbook of English Usage provides assistance with grammar, punctuation, style, and word usage. Refworks and NoodleBib are websites that help you create works cited pages. NoodleBib is easier to use, but Refworks allows you to download citations directly from many of the databases to which you have access as a UAA student.

More... (UAA) links to a page of reference sources maintained by the UAA Consortium Library.