Reference sources
Reference sources
To check a definition, clarify unfamiliar words, gather background information on your topic, and/or develop your understanding of its terminology, an excellent place to start is to use an authoritative online or hard copy dictionary or encyclopedia.
Discipline-specific reference sources for Education
A Dictionary of Education by Provides clear and concise definitions for over 1,100 terms that students of Education are likely to encounter. International scope with UK focus. (Online)
Encyclopedia of EducationHighly regarded, eight volume reference source. Contains over 850 articles on topics in Education and a 138-page index. International scope with US focus. (Online)
International Encyclopedia of Education by "International Encyclopedia of Education, Fourth Edition updates readers on emerging interests and developments in the field. The book presents comprehensive reviews of research in various areas, but also includes illustrations/examples from regions, nations, locations--situated and contrastive (i.e., rather than exemplars serving transferability rather than generalizability avoiding standardization and homogenizations). In so doing, this encyclopedia can serve topic-specific purposes as well as be enlisted in a fashion which binds together separate entries. Sections provide comprehensive reviews and the state of research, theory and practice in a fashion that is both historic and developmental."--Description
General reference sources of relevance also to Education
- Oxford ReferenceOxford Reference is the home of Oxford’s quality reference publishing, bringing together over 2 million entries, many of which are illustrated, into a single cross-searchable resource. Newly relaunched with a brand new look and feel, and specifically designed to meet the needs and expectations of reference users, Oxford Reference provides quality, up-to-date reference content at the click of a button. Made up of two main collections, both fully integrated and cross-searchable, Oxford Reference couples Oxford’s trusted A-Z reference material with an intuitive design to deliver a discoverable, up-to-date, and expanding reference resource.
The little Penguin handbook by Reference guide on writing and research processes, documentation and grammar. 3rd Australasian edition. International scope with Australasian focus.
- Macquarie Dictionary OnlineThe Macquarie Dictionary & Thesaurus Online features easy, comprehensive and interactive searching of over 121,000 headwords and phrases and over 210,000 definitions, with the ability to search either the dictionary, thesaurus or both.
What about Wikipedia?
A Wikipedia entry is not appropriate to cite
as a reference source at university level, but ...
can be useful as a starting point and for background information
can help you create a list of terms or names to research
often includes scholarly references that you can follow up.
