Reference Sources: E-books, Encyclopedias, Handbooks, and Gazetteers
Use these reference sources to begin research; they have short articles on definitions, theories, methods and the history of geography.
International Encyclopedia of Human Geography by ISBN: 9780080449104Date: 2009It provides an authoritative and comprehensive source of information on the discipline of human geography and its constituent, and related, subject areas.
- Columbia Gazetteer of the World This link opens in a new window
Geographical encyclopedia of names, descriptions, and characteristics of places in the world. Entries include: demography; physical geography; political boundaries; industry, trade, and service activities; agriculture; cultural, historical, and archeological points of interest; transportation lines; longitude, latitude, and elevations; distance to relevant places; pronunciations; official local government place-names and changed or variant names and spellings.
- Encyclopedia of EarthFree electronic reference about the Earth, its natural environments, and their interaction with society.
- 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.
- Reference Universe This link opens in a new window
A good place to start, but note that it is an index to over 15 million articles in 11,000 subject encyclopedias and handbooks, both print and online and does not provide full-text articles. Instead, it will connect you to our catalog so you know where to find the appropriate encyclopedia, dictionary or other reference work. You will be linked to UCLA's holdings for any entries you find.
- 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.
International Encyclopedia of Geography by ISBN: 9781118786352Date: 2017-03-09Representing the definitive reference work for this broad and dynamic field, The International Encyclopedia of Geography arises from an unprecedented collaboration between Wiley and the American Association of Geographers (AAG) to review and define the concepts, research, and techniques in geography and interrelated fields. Available as a robust online resource and as a 15-volume full-color print set, the Encyclopedia assembles a truly global group of scholars for a comprehensive, authoritative overview of geography around the world. Contains more than 1,000 entries ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 words offering accessible introductions to basic concepts, sophisticated explanations of complex topics, and information on geographical societies around the world Assembles a truly global group of more than 900 scholars hailing from over 40 countries, for a comprehensive, authoritative overview of geography around the world Provides definitive coverage of the field, encompassing human geography, physical geography, geographic information science and systems, earth studies, and environmental science Brings together interdisciplinary perspectives on geographical topics and techniques of interest across the social sciences, humanities, science, and medicine Features full color throughout the print version and more than 1,000 illustrations and photographs Annual updates to online edition
Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography by ISBN: 9780195430158Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography is a practical, in-depth guide to understanding and conducting qualitative research in human geography. Reflecting both established and modern methods, and written by some of the most authoritative voices in the discipline, the text teaches students how to plan, execute, interpret, and effectively communicate qualitative research. Organized into three parts (introducing, doing, and interpreting), the new third edition is a comprehensive, engaging resource for both students and new researchers in the field.
The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Geography by ISBN: 1282240943Date: 2009-01-01Exploring the dynamic growth, change, and complexity of qualitative research in human geography, The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Geography brings together leading scholars in the field to examine its history, assess the current state of the art, and project future directions. "In its comprehensive coverage, accessible text, and range of illustrative studies, past and present, the Handbook has established an impressive new standard in presenting qualitative methods to geographers." - David Ley, University of British Columbia Moving beyond textbook rehearsals of standard issues, the Handbook shows how empirical details of qualitative research can be linked to the broader social, theoretical, political, and policy concerns of qualitative geographers and the communities within which they work. The book is organized into three sections: Part I: Openings engages the history of qualitative geography, and details the ways that research, and the researcher's place within it, are conceptualized within broader academic, political, and social currents. Part II: Encounters and Collaborations describes the different strategies of inquiry that qualitative geographers use, and the tools and techniques that address the challenges that arise in the research process. Part III: Making Sense explores the issues and processes of interpretation, and the ways researchers communicate their results. Retrospective as well as prospective in its approach, this is geography's first peer-to-peer engagement with qualitative research detailing how to conceive, carry out and communicate qualitative research in the twenty-first century. Suitable for postgraduate students, academics, and practitioners alike, this is the methods resource for researchers in human geography.
- Oxford Reference This link opens in a new window
Spans 25 different subject areas, bringing together 2 million 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.
- 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.
The history of cartography / edited by J.B. Harley and David Woodward. by Call Number: OnlineISBN: 0226907325When the University of Chicago Press launched the landmark History of Cartography series nearly thirty years ago, founding editors J.B. Harley and David Woodward hoped to create a new basis for map history. They did not, however, anticipate the larger renaissance in map studies that the series would inspire. But as the renown of the series and the comprehensiveness and acuity of the present volume demonstrate, the history of cartography has proven to be unexpectedly fertile ground. Cartography in the European Renaissance treats the period from 1450 to 1650, long considered the most important in the history of European mapping. This period witnessed a flowering in the production of maps comparable to that in the fields of literature and fine arts. Scientific advances, appropriations of classical mapping techniques, burgeoning trade routes?all such massive changes drove an explosion in the making and using of maps. While this volume presents detailed histories of mapping in such well-documented regions as Italy and Spain, it also breaks significant new ground by treating Renaissance Europe in its most expansive geographical sense, giving careful attention to often-neglected regions like Scandinavia, East-Central Europe, and Russia, and by providing innovative interpretive essays on the technological, scientific, cultural, and social aspects of cartography. Lavishly illustrated with more than a thousand maps, many in color, the two volumes of Cartography in the European Renaissance will be the unsurpassable standard in its field, both defining it and propelling it forward.
- GeoScienceWorld E-books Collection This link opens in a new windowCollection of e-books for researchers in the Earth Sciences.
- HathiTrust Digital Library This link opens in a new windowA repository of scanned books contributed from academic institutions across the United States, including UCLA. Books still in copyright are scanned and searchable, but the full text scans will not become available online until their copyright expires.
- ProQuest E-book Central This link opens in a new windowUCLA selectively licenses individual e-book titles from E-book Central. Titles are searchable from the ProQuest platform and in the UCLA Library Catalog. Formerly called ebrary.
- Routledge Handbooks Online This link opens in a new windowHandbooks covering a wide range of humanities, social sciences, psychology and some science topics, published by Routledge, Ashgate and other imprints. Some CRC Press handbooks can also be accessed via this particular site.
- Taylor & Francis E-books This link opens in a new windowE-books from Routledge, Psychology Press, and Focal Press, mostly in the humanities, social sciences, and behavioral sciences. UCLA subscribes to only a small number of the available titles. Also includes the scientific, technical, and medical reference books formerly contained in CRCnetBASE. UCLA subscribes to only a small number of titles beyond the former CRC collection.
- UC Press E-Books Collection, 1982-2004 This link opens in a new windowOnline access to over 2000 University of California Press books covering a range of topics. More recent online publications from UC Press can be searched for in the UCLA Library Catalog. On the Advanced Search screen, search for University of California Press in Publication Information and limit to online. Formerly eScholarship Editions.
- Wiley Online Library This link opens in a new window
Fifteen databases, plus individual journals and e-books. Includes 2011-present IEEE-Wiley books.