Bristol Community College Library Learning Commons: ENG101: College Writing (Forman) Summer 2025: Reference Resources

Get to know your topic!

Reference databases are trustworthy sources that can help you to understand your topic at the start of your research. While reference sources are not scholarly, reference sources provide references to other sources on the topic. Reference sources can be from reference databases, encyclopedias, dictionaries, or other reference materials.

Reference Databases

Britannica Library: Reference Center
Access to high-quality, comprehensive information. The rich combination of the insightful Encyclopædia Britannica plus Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and Thesaurus, magazines and periodicals, and many other research tools provides the variety of reliable sources that students need to consult when conducting thorough research—all from one database.
Credo Reference
Provides full-text online versions of hundreds of top quality reference books in all major subjects from art to medicine, psychology to history, and technology to literature. Includes bilingual and biographical dictionaries.
Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
Full text database indexing over 25,000 records, covering an array of topics. Articles range from a paragraph to several pages. Learn about related topics by clicking on the links provided throughout the article.
Gale eBooks (Virtual Reference Library)
Full text database providing subject specific dictionaries, encyclopedias and general reference books as well as the online version of the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. Subjects include science, history, medicine, psychology and mental health, literature, drama, film, popular culture, business, law, and more.
MasterFILE Reference eBook Collection
MasterFILE Reference eBook Collection is a companion eBook collection to the MasterFILE Premier database and contains nonfiction and reference books from top educational publishers, including Abdo Publishing Company, Cherry Lake Publishing, Crabtree Publishing, Lerner Publishing Group, Rourke Publishing and dozens of university presses.