Finding out more about your topic
Background information can be found in encyclopedias, dictionaries and handbooks. These sources may also point out other books or articles relevant to your topic and can be helpful to find keywords, important terms, concepts and author names to use when searching databases.
UBC Library provides access to many excellent resources in both print and online versions; a select number are listed below.
Subject specific sources
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Elsevier ScienceDirectFull text electronic journals covering the physical sciences, applied sciences, life sciences, social sciences, business & economics. Also includes reference works, book series, and handbooks.
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Knovel Basic AcademicKnovel contains dozens of handbooks in engineering and the physical sciences. Special features include data search, interactive tables, and case studies.
General
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Canadian EncyclopediaCanada's national encyclopedia covering all branches of knowledge. Includes more than 35,000 articles in English and French.
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Funk and Wagnalls New World EncyclopediaThis database provides over 25,000 encyclopedic entries covering a variety of subject areas.
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Oxford Reference OnlineOver 300 key Oxford University Press dictionaries and other reference works. Multidisciplinary.
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Oxford Research EncylopediasOxford Research Encyclopedias (OREs) offers peer-reviewed, article-style writings that are authored and edited by leading scholars in a variety of subject areas.
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Merriam-Webster DictionaryThe World Wide Web edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary & Thesaurus.
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Oxford English Dictionary (OED)The OED is widely regarded as the accepted authority on the English language. It is a guide to the meaning, history, & pronunciation of 600,000 words from across the English-speaking world.
