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History 101 Information Literacy - Prof. Frank

Reference eBooks & Databases

Reference books and ebooks give you general overviews of topics and statistical information. The library has thousands of reference ebooks available through OneSearch or you can search an individual reference database such as Credo Reference or Gale eBooks (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library). 

Below are live search boxes for both. Try a search on Mesopotamia in each to see how they work. If off campus, you will be prompted to log in with your SC4 portal username and password.  

Search Gale eBooks

Credo Reference

Credo image

Click on the image or here https://esearch.sc4.edu/credoreference

Using OneSearch to find reference materials

 

To find reference material on a topic using OneSearch, type the topic into the search box. The example here is absolutism. 

OneSearch Absolutism

There are thousands of results, but they can be narrowed to reference materials using the limiters in the left-hand column. Reference is not visible on the main screen of search results, but more limiters are available. 

Absolutism More limiter Reference

A third column opens where we can choose the limiters. Be sure to click Apply to narrow the results. 

Reference limiter selected

The first entry is from the Encyclopedia of European Social History. 

Absolutism first entry

The full text is available online through the database Gale in Context Global Issues. 

Gale absolutism entry

The Gale databases will show you how to cite the sources in their databases. Be sure to pick the citation style that is appropriate for your class. 

Gale Absolutism article citation MLA

Need more help? Please contact a reference librarian!