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Persuasive/Argumentative Essays, Research Papers, and Speeches

What Are Reference Sources? Why Use Them?

Encyclopedias, dictionaries, factbooks,and handbooks are examples of some types of reference sources that are helpful to consult, especially when you're researching a topic in an unfamiliar field.

Use them when you need:

  • basic overviews of new subjects
  • to quickly lookup factual information

The library has a number of reference sources available in print and also subscribes to databases containing a variety of online reference sources in ebook format. See the list below.

Find Topic Overviews in Online Library Databases

Accessibility is important to us. While we have made efforts to make our guides as accessible as possible, it is possible that issues could be present. If you are having difficulty accessing content in these guides or if you have any questions about the accessibility of online information posted by the MCC Libraries, please contact us.