A Reference Source is usually a physical or digital document that you would refer to for more information about a topic. When doing academic research, it is sometimes much better to consult a reference resource than to type your question into google. Reference resources are usually curated around specific topics, making them more credible and informative than the advertisement suggestion that will pop up at the top of your google search!
Examples of Reference resources:
Encyclopaedia Britannica Public Library Edition.
Encyclopedia of people, concepts and phenomena in the social sciences, with particular emphasis on how experts in the field understand them.
Online encyclopedias, dictionaries and other reference books on all subjects, published by Oxford University Press.
Encyclopedias, dictionaries and other reference books dealing with the study of society and culture, published by Oxford University Press.
Literature encyclopedias, dictionaries and other reference books, published by Oxford University Press. Some books limited to 5 users at one time. Please close the website when you are done.
Performing arts encyclopedias, dictionaries and other reference books, published by Oxford University Press.
Biographies of important Black Americans.
Biographies of important individuals in United States history. **Limited to 1 user at a time. Please click "Sign out" and close the website when you are done.
Biographies of both modern and historic individuals.
Biographies of and essays on influential literary figures.
When conducting research in Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, we may need to consult reference sources that lay outside of academia. An oxford reference source may not tell you more about current events or social justice movements as they develop. When this is the case, you absolutely can use a popular resource to learn more information about a topic. However, it is important to critically evaluate your source to see if the information in it is reliable and accurate to the topic. When analyzing a popular resource it is important to consider:
For more guidance on investigating popular sources, please visit the Scholarly vs. Popular page of this guide.
Date(s): 1980-present
Text-only articles from the New York Times. **Blogs are not included.**
Current access to the New York Times site, including news, columns and more -- courtesy of the Holy Cross SGA. ** To access, create an account with your HC email address. If you already have an account, there will be an option to click-through to log in.
Date(s):1851-2021
Articles from the New York Times, including all pictures and advertisements.
Date(s): 1857-present
Articles, articles, newsletters, videos, podcasts, events, and more from TheAtlantic.com. ** To access: Choose “College of the Holy Cross" as your institution. Log-in with your HC email and password.
Local, national, and international news, including the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.