UK resources
Reference works are books and other materials that provide information on a specific topic. Examples include dictionaries, encyclopaedias, almanacs, and handbooks. They are often consulted for background information, to clarify concepts, or to find specific facts or details on a subject, and may provide useful bibliographies for further reading.
- Oxford dictionary of national biography This link opens in a new window
- Brill's digital library of World War I This link opens in a new window This database offers Brill's Encyclopedia of the First World War in full, alongside a wide range of book chapters focusing on different aspects of World War I. The encyclopedia, in conjunction with the book chapters, provides a comprehensive reference work, addressing key issues of the Great War from historical, political, social, economic, and cultural perspectives, while also engaging with traditionally underexplored aspects of the war, such as neutral states, the roles of women, and memory and legacy.
If you can't find something relevant in the list above then go to Search and copy the following search (replace tudors with your own keywords): tudors AND (handbook OR companion OR encyclopedia OR encyclopaedia OR dictionary)
If you'd like to go browse the shelves, some relevant locations are listed below. Otherwise you can search for books (print and electronic) in Search.
| General history of Europe | 940 |
| World War I, 1914-1918 | 940.3 |
| 1918-1929 | 940.51 |
| 1930-1939 | 940.52 |
| World War II, 1939-1945 | 940.53 |
| Holocaust | 940.5318 |
| 1945- | 940.55 |
| British Isles | 941 |
| England and Wales | 942 |
| Germany, Central Europe | 943 |
| France | 944 |
| Eastern Europe; Russia | 947 |
In History there are, broadly speaking, two types of databases; those you use to find primary sources, and those you use for journal articles. For primary sources look at the Primary Sources library guide.
For journal articles, books, theses, conference papers and more:
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowJSTOR is a comprehensive library of important scholarly literature, built by over 1,700 worldwide participants, including major Australian universities. It includes thousands of academic journals, books, and primary sources from a wide range of academic publishers and university presses. Titles span across disciplines, including core areas such as business & economics, social sciences, education, history, language & literature and science. Current journals are linked and cross-searchable with archival journals and ebooks.
For more, look at the full list of History databases.