ULibraries Research Guides: Reference: Starting Points

Online General Reference

Oxford Reference Online
"Contains about 100 dictionary, language reference, and subject reference works published by Oxford University Press."
Sage Reference Online
The premier social sciences platform for SAGE and CQ Press book, reference, and video content.
CREDO Reference
Search 3,502,802 full text articles in 987 titles from 116 publishers.

Looking for more detailed reference help?

If you need additional help finding reference materials, please connect with your subject specialist, visit the Master Guide, or contact us via email or chat.

Online Reference

ASTM Compass This link opens in a new window
ASTM Compass contains, standards, journals, technical papers, manuals, and data series published by ASTM International. Additionally, most International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards are available in ASTM Compass.

MedlinePlus
Health information from the National Library of Medicine
STAT!Ref
STAT!Ref is an electronic medical library that allows users to cross-search more than 350 medical resources in over 50 disciplines, such as Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment, Mosby's GenRX, and the Griffith 5 Minute Clinical Consult, among others.

CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
The CQ Researcher publishes reports 44 times a year that offer in-depth single-topic coverage of political and social issues, with regular reports on topics in health, international affairs, education, the environment, technology and the U.S. economy. Each CQ Researcher report is investigated and written by a seasoned journalist. Editors identify the topic to be investigated, then the writer conceives its content, formulating the key questions that it will seek to answer; reads background mat…
The CQ Researcher publishes reports 44 times a year that offer in-depth single-topic coverage of political and social issues, with regular reports on topics in health, international affairs, education, the environment, technology and the U.S. economy. Each CQ Researcher report is investigated and written by a seasoned journalist. Editors identify the topic to be investigated, then the writer conceives its content, formulating the key questions that it will seek to answer; reads background material; interviews a range of sources; synthesizes available information; and writes the report. The report's writer quotes a range of sources, including lawmakers, academics, interest group representatives, government officials as well as citizens involved in the issue. The report concludes with a bibliography that contains an annotated list of key sources.
Safari Tech Books, see O’Reilly This link opens in a new window
O’Reilly-Safari is a comprehensive repository of business and technology resources that help prepare students for today’s technology-dependent workforce. And it enables library collections to offer up-to-date, relevant materials for rapidly evolving areas of study. Mobile access, downloading, and personalization. Content from more than 250 publishers covering career trends like Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and Gaming. Multi-format delivery from a single platform. Safari's new platform uses Single Sign On (SSO) To login to the University of Utah's account, when prompted for a login information, enter your University of Utah email address. Once you enter that, you will be taken to a University of Utah SSO login page, enter your uNID.

Check USearch for more software tutorial books.

photo from the 1970s, two women help patrons at the reference desk at the marriott library

Reference desk at the Marriott Library from the University of Utah Archives.

The Marriott Library from the University of Utah Archives

The Marriott Library Card Catalogue from the University of Utah Archives.

Starters (Books/Links)

Oxford English Dictionary
Available in both print & online
PE 1625. O87

American Heritage College Dictionary
PE 1628 .A6227 2002

Pocket Oxford American Thesaurus

Webster's New World College Dictionary
PE1628 .W5629 2016

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (1919)
(17th edition) PN 6081. B27 2002

The OWL at Purdue

Harvard College Writing Center

Elements of Style (1918)
(4th Edition) PE 1408. S772 2000

Style: The Basics of Clarity and Grace
PE 1421. W5455

Academic Writing for Graduate
Students PE 1408. S7836 2004

What is Reference?

Historically, the reference section of a library contains the library's reference books. Reference materials often include dictionaries, encyclopedias, bibliographies, style guides, software manuals, or standards and are generally used to find facts or provide a broad overview of a topic. They should not be used as major sources for research papers or other projects.

In 2018 the Marriott Library moved our physical reference materials to the Automated Retrieval Center (ARC) and are available by request through our catalog. Since many of our reference materials can be accessed online, this Research Guide serves as an online reference section.

Librarian Contact Info

Alfred Mowdood

he/him/his

Email Me

Contact:

The University of Utah
J. Willard Marriott Library
Head of Faculty Services,
Representative, Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC), Adjunct Professor in Parks, Recreation, & Tourism, and
Adjunct Assistant Professor in Kinesiology
295 South 1500 East #2110 R
Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0860
alfred.mowdood@utah.edu
(801) 585-7125

Pronouns: he/him/his