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:
These are accessible online to search in at any time!
Biographies of novelists, poets, playwrights, nonfiction writers, journalist and scriptwriters, from the early 1900s to present.
Biographies of and other information about writers currently active in poetry, fiction and nonfiction, journalism, drama, television and movies.
Encyclopaedia Britannica Public Library Edition.
Considered the authoritative dictionary of the English language.
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.
Biographies of and essays on influential literary figures.
A concordance is an alphabetical list of the words (especially the important ones) present in a text, usually with citations of the passages in which they are found. It is a helpful reference text for large bodies of literary work that might be hard to navigate. Below are some popular online concordances that you might consult when looking for a particular passage or reference in someones literary output.
These resources are available in the Dinand library reading room as physical resources. You may use them for up to three hours within the library walls. If you'd like to use them please feel free to take them from the shelves! Please just be sure to put them on a cart or return them to the library front desk for proper re-shelving when you are done.
When using a resource such as an encyclopedia or a concordance, you do need to cite your use in your work. This could be an in text citation if you quote or refer to the material directly, or a citation on a works consulted list or a bibliography. Your assignment description and professor can specify the level of citation they want.
MLA citation style has guidance on how to cite these sources. I've included the format and an example of such a citation below. For more help, visit the citation help page on this guide or the MLA citation guide online. Remeber, if you are unsure if your citation is correct you can always make an appointment with a research librarian to check or stop by the reference desk in Dinand library or the Science library to consult with one of our Library Research assistants. Here is a link to the schedule for research desk drop in services.
The Bible
When citing the Bible in MLA format, you typically put the version of the bible first in italics followed by book chapter and verse. see an example below:
"For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants[a] and entrusted to them his property." (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Matthew 25:14) If you were to cite this version of the bible again in your paper, you can leave the version of the bible out, like this: (Matthew 25:14).
Then in your works cited, you will give the citation for the bible without the book chapter and verse:
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Crossway Bibles, 2016.
If you are using an electronic bible, like bible gateway, your citation will also include bible gateway, the link, and access date:
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Bible Gateway, https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2025%3A14-30&version=ESV. Accessed 13 February, 2025.
Open Source Shakespeare
Citing Open source Shakespeare is actually very similar to a bible gateway citation. You want to include the actual citation information, such as the author and the title of the work, but you also need to include that you used the concordance tool to locate that information. An example of the in text citation might look like this:
"O that I were a man! What, bear her in hand until they
come to take hands; and then, with public
accusation, uncovered slander, unmitigated rancour,
—O God, that I were a man! I would eat his heart
in the market-place. " (Much Ado about Nothing 4.1.1953-1957)
If you cite this play more than once you can shorten the title to the abbreviation Ado. Check here for a list of play title abbreviations. If you are citing multiple Shakespeare works in one assignment use the play names, but if you are only citing one work you may replace the title of the work in the in text citation with the authors last name, Shakespeare.
The following works cited entry will look like this:
Shakespeare, William. Much Ado About Nothing. Open Source Shakespeare, George Mason University, 2003. https://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/views/plays/play_view.php?WorkID=muchado&Act=4&Scene=1&Scope=scene Accessed February 13, 2025.
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
For entries in encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference works, cite the entry name as you would any other work in a collection but do not include the publisher information. Also, if the reference book is organized alphabetically, as most are, do not list the volume or the page number of the article or item.
"Ideology." The American Heritage Dictionary. 3rd ed. 1997.
If using an online source like Encylopedia Britanica online, it will look like this:
"ideology." Britannica Library, Encyclopædia Britannica, 27 Oct. 2020. https://library-eb-com.holycross.idm.oclc.org/levels/referencecenter/article/ideology/106294 Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.