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Eastern Illinois University
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Charleston, IL 61920
Why use Reference Materials?
Using Reference materials is an excellent way to build background knowledge on a topic when you are in the beginning stages of research. If you are...
- exploring several different topics
- brainstorming for a thesis
- trying to learn the basics or get the "gist" of an idea
Reference materials like specialized encyclopedias, specialized dictionaries, fact books and almanacs can be helpful! You can find Reference materials both in print and online for ease of use.
Online Reference Resources
Search for Ebook Reference materials using the box below.
- Gale, EBSCO and Sage are more general and strong for Humanity driven topics
- Springer is a STEM/sciences focused publisher
- All will have different material so you may need to do more than one search.
Here are some examples of online Ebook Reference resources for both Philosophy and Religion to get you started.
Asian American Religious Cultures
Traditional belief systems | Buddhism | Confucianism |Hinduism | Islam | Micronesian and Polynesian religious traditions in the United States | Culture and religious rituals of Asian American Christians.
Encyclopedia of Religion
Presents a cross-cultural approach that emphasizes religion's role within everyday life and as a unique experience from culture to culture.
Encyclopedia of Religious Controversies in the United States
Historical and Contemporary Issues in American Religion | Controversies | Abortion | Intelligent Design | Scientology
Heaven, Hell, and the Afterlife: Eternity in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
Examination of historic and contemporary perspectives on eternity
The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy
This dictionary of philosophy is a record of some of the terms that excite such reflection, and some that have been found helpful in conducting it.
Print Reference Resources
The Reference area, located on the 3000 Level of Booth Library across from the Research Help Desk, offers many handy reference titles to help you with your research and are available for check out.
Hot research tip: to search the catalog for Reference materials, type in your keywords and then the term "reference" or "encyclopedia." For example "Foucault encyclopedia" will result in several encyclopedias with information on philosopher Michael Foucault so you can learn the basics of his research.
Here are a few examples of Reference books at Booth:
| Ref. B 51 .O94 2005x | Oxford Companion to Philosophy |
| Ref. B 72 .C59 1987 | Fifty Major Philosophers |
| Ref. B 72 .K43 2004 | Basics of Western Philosophy |
| Ref. B72 .S64 2008 | World Philosophies |
| Ref. B 121 .E53 2001 | Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy |
| Ref. BJ 63 .E54 1994 | Ethics |
| Ref. BL 65 .H64 H63 2007 | Homosexuality and Religion |
| Ref. BL 65 .H78 H8595 2004 | Human Rights and the World's Major Religions |
| Ref. BL 325 .C7 L44 | Encyclopedia of Creation Myths |
| Ref. BL 1105 .J56 2007 | Encyclopedia of Hinduism |
| Ref. BL 2400 .E53 2009 | Encyclopedia of African Religion |
| Ref. BL 2530 .H3 F55 2007 | Haitian VoDou Handbook |
| Ref. BP 133 .Q72x 2006 | Quran: an Encyclopedia |
| Ref. BP 161.3 .G85 2004 | Understanding Islam and Muslim Traditions |
| Ref. BQ 130 .P75 2014 | Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism |
| Ref. BS 440 .T57 2007 | All Things in the Bible |
| Ref. BS 1225.3 .P55 1981 | Torah: A Modern Commentary |
| Ref. BX 4931.3 .C67 2010 | Concise Encyclopedia of Amish… |
| Ref. BX 8605.5 .M67 2010 | Mormonism |
