LibGuides: Italian Language and Culture: Reference sources

What are reference sources?

Reference sources are resources used to locate basic information and secondary literature.

There are many types of reference sources, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, atlases, handbooks, guides, and style manuals.

They are a fantastic places to begin your research, especially if you are exploring a new topic.

Reference sources can help you to:

define your topic in general terms
find background information, including themes and key points
identify keywords and alternative terms for conceptualising your subject, and for database searching.

Online Reference collections

Blackwell Reference online
The home of quality reference resources for students and scholars, featuring Wiley-Blackwell’s acclaimed companions, handbooks, dictionaries and guides from across the social sciences and humanities.
Cambridge Companions Online
Collections of specially commissioned essays taken from the renowned Cambridge Companions series of authoritative guides, written by leading experts in the field. CCO covers literature, philosophy, religion, classics, cultural studies, and music, ensuring a complete reference for all those working in the humanities.
The Cambridge History of Italian Literature
Historical reference compendium with instant access to the texts of the Cambridge Histories series. All the available volumes are grouped into topics such as British history, economic history, literary studies, music, philosophy, political and social theory, theatre studies and performing arts, and warfare.
Oxford Handbooks Online
Collections of review essays in various fields that evaluate current thinking on a topic, and make an original argument about the future direction of the debate.
Oxford Italian Dictionary
Offers a huge range of fully-indexed, extensively linked, up to date, and cross-searchable dictionary, language reference, and subject reference works published by Oxford University Press.
SAGE Reference Online
Contains SAGE authoritative and award-winning encyclopedias and handbooks offering comprehensive overviews of key sub disciplinary areas across the social sciences.