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CHEM 110: Core Concepts in Context

About Reference Sources

Reference materials are a great place to begin your research.  Use the print and ebook reference collection to:

  • find ideas for your paper
  • read a summary of a topic
  • get citations related to the topic.

Reference books are generally so voluminous (in print and electronic format) that you must use some of the special features to help find the information that you are looking for. 

  • Scan the table of contents to see how the book is organized. 
  • Use the index to locate which volume the information you need is in.
  • Entries in tables or charts often have an explanation of the data presented.
  • Check out the data of publication for the series to determine currency.

Key reference resources

Organizations & Agencies

For your topic, what government agency or national organization would be considered an expert on the topic?

  • USGS
  • WHO
  • DoD
  • NIH
  • NSF
  • USDA
  • NASA