Librarian for Public Policy & Urban Planning
Online Encyclopedias, Reference Sources and Dictionaries
The links below lead you to encyclopedias and online reference tools.
These resources are often great starting points because they often give broad subject coverage and/or historical context. Review an entry's references for more possible sources.
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Encyclopedia of Social ProblemsComprehensive approach to the field of social problems, utilizing experts from anthropology, biology, business, chemistry, communications, criminal justice, demography, economics, education, environmental studies, geography, health, history, languages, political science, psychology, social work, sociology, and women's studies.
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Gale E-Books (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library) This link opens in a new window
Online encyclopedias, dictionaries, and specialized reference sources, primarily in the social sciences and humanities.
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International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral SciencesA scholarly encyclopedia covering disciplines of the social and behavioral sciences: Anthropology, Economics, Geography, Political Science, Psychology, Social Welfare, Sociology, and related fields and concepts.
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SAGE Knowledge This link opens in a new windowE-books and reference works in the social sciences. Includes scholarly monographs, reference works, handbooks, series, professional development titles, and more. Includes books published by both Sage and CQ Press. UCLA subscribes to only a small fraction of the books available, and not all content from Sage.
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SAGE Encyclopedia of Political BehaviorThe SAGE Encyclopedia of Political Behavior explores the intersection of psychology, political science, sociology, and human behavior. This encyclopedia integrates theories, research, and case studies from a variety of disciplines that inform this established area of study. Aimed at college and university students, this one-of-a-kind reference covers voting patterns, interactions between groups, what makes different types of government systems appealing to different societies, and the impact of early childhood development on political beliefs, among others.
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Merriam Webster OnlineA commercial site that has both a dictionary and thesaurus.
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Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
Includes the complete text of the Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. plus quarterly updates of new and revised entries. Trace the origin and history of words and their meanings in this etymological dictionary.
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Oxford Reference This link opens in a new window
Spans 25 different subject areas, bringing together digitized entries across Oxford University Press’s Dictionaries, Companions and Encyclopedias. UC subscription allows limited simultaneous users, so if you can't connect try again later. Please note: UCLA Library has access to a selected number of Oxford reference titles, and not the entire set.
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SAGE Research Methods This link opens in a new windowBooks, reference works, and instructional videos about qualitative and quantitative methodologies in the sciences and social sciences. Includes Research Tools (online tools for planning research and choosing methods), Cases (examples of real research), Video (research process, data science, and methods) and Datasets (sample data chosen specifically to support practice with various statistical analysis methods). Includes Diversifying and Decolonizing Research, and Sage Research Methods Video: Quantitative and Mixed Methods.