Search Online Reference Collections
Credo, Gale, and Oxford offer online reference collections that let you cross-search many dictionaries and encyclopedias at once!
- CREDO Reference This link opens in a new window
Dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc. from a variety of sources.
- Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new window
Online reference works from a variety of publishers.
- Oxford Reference This link opens in a new window
Reference books by Oxford University Press, including the Oxford Digital Reference Shelf.
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
- Literature Resource Center This link opens in a new window
Full text literary criticism, overviews and reviews of literary works, author biographies in all disciplines, from all times and geographic areas.
- Oxford Reference This link opens in a new window
Reference books by Oxford University Press, including the Oxford Digital Reference Shelf.
- Oxford English Dictionary (OED) This link opens in a new window
The largest and most comprehensive English dictionary. Provides a history of most words through examples of usage in written works of literature. Print version available in Clemens Oversize PE1625 .O87 1989
- Oxford Handbooks This link opens in a new windowBrings together the world’s leading scholars to discuss research and the latest thinking on a range of major topics. We have access to the history and religion handbooks, along with select titles from other disciplines.
Wikipedia
Not sure if it's okay to use Wikipedia or a web search as a starting point for your research? Check with your instructor or a librarian!
For an overview of the issue, check out Wikipedia's Citing Wikipedia article!
Your Librarian

Alcuin Library
Saint John's University