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HIST 3395 & 4386: Pre- Colonial African History

Resource Guide for Pre-Colonial African History, HIST 3395 & HIST 4386

Why Use A General Reference Book?

 

Reference books are useful for quick fact-checking and for background information. Examples of reference books include almanacs, atlases, dictionaries, directories, encyclopedias, and indexes.

Reference sources are most useful when you are beginning to work on a topic and need to acquire some background knowledge about it. You may not end up citing them in your bibliography or Works Cited page, but they can help you to get started.

How to Locate A Reference Book in the TTU Libraries

 

Reference works or statistical publications -- in print or electronic

  • Combine name of country, language, or ethnic group as “Subject” and another term as a “Subject”….such as:

    bibliography | handbooks | statistics | atlas -or- maps

    biography | congresses | dictionaries | grammar

Examples of General Reference Books Within the University Libraries