Reference sources are a great way to start your research. They will help you define key terms, identify important themes and individuals in the field, and find keywords for further searching in catalogs and databases. Reference sources also include bibliographies that will help you idenfity important primary and secondary works in your subject area. Although many reference sources are now available online, there are still many very useful ones that are available only in print. Please do not disregard them as they can be at times most useful to your projects. Select one of the reference source types below to get started.