Dictionaries, Thesauri & Encyclopedias
Dictionaries, encyclopedias, and handbooks are key reference sources useful in defining your terms and concepts, understanding key words and developing synonyms, and to obtain an overview of the area you are researching.
These sources are particularly useful, not to reference in your assignments themselves, but as a way of discovering how to research a topic.
Use the Dictionaries and Thesauri terminology in conjunction with the Database Search Planner.
They should not be used as academic references, either, instead, use them as a pointer back to the original, theoretical research used to build them.
General Reference Sources
Macquarie dictionary: Australia's national dictionary onlineThe Macquarie dictionary has been online since 2003 and is constantly updated with new words as they enter the Australian language. Searching may be confined to the Macquarie dictionary only, or combined with the thesaurus.
Also, check out a few online dictionaries for comparison:
Subject-specific sources are in the menu to the left.
Dictionaries can be a good place to start, because they often provide definitions and overviews. You can quickly discover keywords, synonyms and related terms. In addition, they may briefly introduce a topic by themes or main points.
Here are a selection of Humanities dictionaries:
The Blackwell Dictionary of Modern Social Thought (2nd Ed.) [e-version] by ISBN: 0631221646Publication Date: 2003
Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable by Call Number: MTL 803 BREISBN: 006019653XPublication Date: 2000
Collins Dictionary of Sociology (4th Ed.) by Call Number: Main MTL 301.03 JARISBN: 1849721785Publication Date: 2007
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics by Call Number: JOO Main 320.03 CON / MTL Main 320.03 CONISBN: 0192852884Publication Date: 1996
Dictionary of 20th Century European History by Call Number: MTL Main 940.503 TOWISBN: 1579581277Publication Date: 1999
A Dictionary of Nineteenth-Century World History by Call Number: MTL Main 909.81 DICISBN: 0631183523Publication Date: 1994
Dictionary of Race, Ethnicity and Culture by Call Number: MTL Main 305.8003 DICISBN: 0761968997Publication Date: 2002
Dictionary of the Politics of the People's Republic of China by Call Number: MTL 320.95103 DICISBN: 0415154502Publication Date: 1998
Dictionary of the Social Sciences by Call Number: JOO Main 300.3 DIC / MTL Main 300.3 DICISBN: 0195123719Publication Date: 2002
Encyclopedias can further broaden your understanding of the field, with greater depth (but narrower coverage).
Here are a selection of Humanities encyclopedias:
The Australian People: An encyclopedia of the nation, its people and their origins. (2nd ed.) by Call Number: BUN Main 994 AUS / MTL Main 994 AUSISBN: 0521807891Publication Date: 2001
The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Political Thought by Call Number: BUN Main 320.03 BLA / MTL Main 320.03 BLAISBN: 0631179445Publication Date: 1991
The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. by Call Number: MTL Q 420 CRYISBN: 0521401798Publication Date: 1995
The Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature by Call Number: MTL 809.89282 CULISBN: 0826417787Publication Date: 2005
Encyclopedia of Invasions and Conquests by Call Number: MTL Main 355.003 DAVISBN: 1592371140Publication Date: 2006
Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment by Call Number: MTL Main 940.25 ENCISBN: 019510434XPublication Date: 2002
The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War (2nd. Ed.) [e-version] by ISBN: 1851099611Publication Date: 2011
International Relations: Key concepts (3rd Ed.) [e-version] by ISBN: 113501213XPublication Date: 2014
The Oxford Companion to British History by Call Number: MTL Main 941.003 OXFISBN: 0198661762Publication Date: 1997
The Oxford Companion to English Literature. (7th ed.) by Call Number: MTL 820.3 OXFISBN: 0192806874Publication Date: 2009
Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy by Call Number: JOO Main 103 ROUISBN: 041518715XPublication Date: 1998
