ONLINE REFERENCE TOOLS
These free, online reference tools can help you find the answers to quick, factual questions. Remember to cite the website if you quote or paraphrase the information you find!
Topics On This Page:
Data and Statistics from USA.gov
- Provides links to government statistics by topic
ipl2 - Internet Public Library / Librarian's Internet Index
- Lists good websites on all topics
ACT Architectural Glossary
- Defines approximately 200 common architectural terms
- Includes a picture in every definition
Oxford Dictionaries
- Includes the Compact Oxford English Dictionary, the Oxford Concise Dictionary of First Names, and an abbreviated version of the Oxford Companion to Western Art
The Vocabulary.com Dictionary
- Includes basic dictionary definitions as well as help choosing between similar-sounding words such as affect and effect, or faze and phase
Dictionary.com
- Includes definitions from the American Heritage and Webster's dictionaries
- Covers medical and legal terms
Merriam-Webster Online
- Includes the Merriam-Webster dictionary, thesaurus, Spanish-English dictionary, and medical dictionary
Merriam-Webster Visual Dictionary Online
- Provides visual definitions alongside the traditional text definitions; for example, the definition of a house frame includes a diagram of the frame with other relevant terms (rafter, ceiling joist, stud, etc.) labeled and defined
TheFreeDictionary.com
- Includes definitions from the American Heritage and Collins dictionaries
- Features "Starts with" and "Ends with" search options
Thesaurus.com
- Includes entries from Roget's II: The New Thesaurus
- Features both synonyms and antonyms
WordReference.com – Online Language Dictionaries
- Bilingual dictionaries including English-Spanish, English-French,
English-German, and many more
Encyclopedia.com
- Includes articles from the Columbia Encyclopedia, the Oxford World’s Encyclopedia, Webster’s New World Dictionary, and other sources
Encyclopedia Smithsonian
- Covers a broad range of subjects
- Includes links to other excellent sites
Reference.com
- Includes articles from the Columbia Encyclopedia, the Encyclopedia Britannica, and other sources
Wikipedia
- Covers a broad range of subjects
- Many articles include links to related resources in the Notes,
References, and External Links sections
Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)
- Features excellent information about writing academic papers
- Covers citations using APA and MLA styles
Library of Congress Learning Page : How to Cite Electronic Sources
- Includes information about how to cite pictures, videos, maps, newspapers, sound recordings, and other online and electronic sources
- Features citation examples in Chicago and MLA styles
Research and Documentation Online
- Includes information about citing every type of source, from books to blogs
- Covers MLA, APA and Chicago citation styles
The Little, Brown Handbook Companion Website
- Features exercises and related links for every chapter in the print edition
- Includes a guide to using the MLA style for citations
The Writing Center at Harvard University
- Features quick guides to every stage of the writing process, from selecting a topic and developing a thesis to organizing your paper and preparing the final draft
- Includes information on citing sources
UBC Libraries : How to Cite Sources
- Features quick guides to citing sources in APA, Chicago/Turabian, MLA, and other styles
UW Libraries : Citations and Writing
- Features quick guides to citing sources in APA, Chicago/Turabian and MLA styles
- Includes links to other online style guides
Bartleby.com
- Includes full-text poetry, fiction, nonfiction, quotations, and reference works
- Features inaugural addresses by United States presidents
- Covers a wide range of writing, from the Bhagavad-Gita to Charles Dickens
Project Gutenberg
- Includes the full text of approximately 10,000 books
- Covers a wide range of writing, from the Bible to modern fiction
- Features almanacs, dictionaries, encyclopedias, poetry, drama, fiction,
and nonfiction
The Oxford Shakespeare on Bartleby.com
- Includes the complete works of William Shakespeare
Encyclopedia Mythica
- Covers mythology, folklore and religion
- Includes an image gallery of deities, heroes and mythical creatures
BBC Country Profiles
- Features information about countries around the world
CIA World Factbook
- Features information about countries around the world
History World
- Features articles, images and timelines
- Covers world history from prehistoric times to the present
U.S. Census Bureau
- Includes demographic and economic information for all areas of the
United States
OnlineConversion.com
- Converts measurements from one unit (for example, inches) to another (for example, centimeters)
Science.gov
- Includes information from a variety of governmental departments and research agencies
- Covers all areas of science, including climate change, energy, air
quality, and physical geography
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