Atlantic Cape Community College Libraries: Find Reference Sources: Get Started with Research

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Icon Legend

Key to icons used to describe databases and other resources
	Open access. No login required.
	Requires login when Off Campus. Limited to Atlantic Cape students, faculty and staff
	Many items full-text
	Some full text.
	No full text.
	Complete videos
	An Ebscohost Database.
	A Proquest Database.
	Gale-Cengage Resource.
	Digital Commons/bepress
	Infobase Resource

Reference Sources: A Great Place to Start a Project

Reference sources are the basic, essential tools of research. Use reference sources to find a good introduction to a topic or concept, check facts or rules, get the definition of a word, a short biography of a person, get geographic information, or locate additional sources for your work.

These tools are useful for finding information about any topic.

General Encyclopedias

Britannica Academic Edition This link opens in a new window
Britannica Online offers the 32 volume Encyclopaedia Britannica (updated every two weeks); the Year in Review; World Data Analyst with statistics on every country; an Internet Guide with sites selected and reviewed by Britannica's editors; Timelines, a chronology tool, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary; Merriam-Webster's Thesaurus; World Atlas; images, video and news articles.
Funk and Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia This link opens in a new window
This general encyclopedia contains articles that are easy to read, but lack the depth of the Britannica articles.
Referencia Latina This link opens in a new window
A collection of Spanish-language sources, primarily introductory reference books, but also including a variety of popular magazines and a few scholarly journals.

Dictionaries

Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
This classic reference work traces the history and etymology of words and phrases in the English Language.

Specialized Encyclopedias and More

Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Credo Reference provides access to a large number of encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri and other reference books. Subjects covered include art, biography, history, literature, music, religion, and science and technology. Includes a spider map with related subjects
Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) This link opens in a new window
Standard, academic reference sources on a variety of topics. Some sources in this collection are better for historic than for current information.
Salem Press Reference Books This link opens in a new window
A small but valuable collection of resources. At this time, the collection includes resources for history, health and medicine, and science.

Test Preparation

Peterson's Test and Career Prep This link opens in a new window
This multi-faceted resource includes:
►Personal registration is required in order to use some resources.

Good sources for argumentative essays, or an introduction to any issue of public concern.

Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center This link opens in a new window
A full-text databases providing differing points of view on current social issues, such as affirmative action, censorship, ecology, mental health, and many more. For best results, use the Browse Topics feature. All content requires critical thinking.
Points of View Reference Center This link opens in a new window
Covers controversial issues of many descriptions. Contains many core topics, each with an overview (objective background / description), point (argument), and counterpoint (opposing argument). Links to additional full-text articles. For best results, use the Browse Topics feature.

Business

Reference Solutions This link opens in a new window
This directory of millions of U.S. businesses is searchable by name, industry, location, or a combination. Also includes closed and historical businesses, jobs and internships.
To access you will be prompted for your library card number. This is the 14-digit barcode printed on the face of your Atlantic Cape ID card. You must register your card with the libraries for this to work.

Law

Legal Information Reference Center This link opens in a new window
Legal Information Reference Center contains hundreds of full-text publications and thousands of legal forms. Search over 12,800 state-specific legal forms–searchable by top subject areas including Adoption, Bankruptcy, Name Changes and more.

Literature

Literary Reference Center This link opens in a new window
Provides information on approximately 140,000 authors from a wide range of literary disciplines and time frames as well as plot summaries, synopses, and overviews of their works. In addition, it also includes 14,500 short stories and 54,000 poems.

A-Z Database List

See a list of all Atlantic Cape Libraries databases in alphabetical order.

Working Off Campus?

Off-campus access to most library resources is password-protected. 3 ways to get the user name and password:

Visit the library.
Go to Blackboard.
- Look under Institution Page section for Student Tools to Stay Connected at Atlantic Cape
Send an email request to library@atlantic.edu

Feeling Lost?

Help is on the way! Ask a Librarian, or check out our HELP! page.

Funding Information

Looking for money to finance an institutional initiative, a nonprofit venture, or a personal adventure? Learn more about the Nonprofit Resource Center.