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HIST 260: An Introduction to Canadian History

Why Consult a Reference Resource?

Reference resources are a great place to begin your research.  They can help you define terms as well as to find basic information about a topic, a chronicle of its history, theories, key people and sometimes a bibliography of additional sources. 

There are many different types of reference sources, which include dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesauri, bibliographies, handbooks, style manuals to name a few.

Dictionaries vs Encyclopedias

Dictionaries provide short definitions (a sentence or two, or a short paragraph) of terms or a brief overview of an subject, etc.

Encyclopedias contain longer essays that provide a more in-depth discussion of topics and often have bibliographical references.

To find encyclopedias or dictionaries on your topic, search Omni using the keywords of your topic combined with "encyclopedia" or "dictionaries" or look for these words following a subject heading.

       Canada AND (dictionaries OR encyclopedias)

       Canada--History--Dictionaries [subject heading search]

For a list of dictionaries and encyclopedias related to Canadian history, check the subject guide, Canadian History, and in particular, the section on dictionaries and encyclopedias.

Bibliographies like Oxford Bibliographies offer authoritative research guides helping you to narrow the vast number of citations to the best scholarship on a given topic.

Although there is not a separate guide for Canadian History, there are articles on the Seven Years War, War of 1812, Quebec and the Atlantic World, 1760-1867, and Canada from World War I to the Present to name a few.  

Labour History Bibliography

Check the Canadian Labour History Bibliography, 1979-2009 compiled by Michael Lonardo, Memorial University.