Online dictionaries, encyclopedias and other reference sources

Use these sources to find authoritative definitions and summaries – a useful starting point for seminar presentations and projects. They are a reliable alternative to Wikipedia!

General works and collections

• Britannica Online - search across the full 32 volumes of Encyclopædia Britannica
• Credo Reference - search across multiple works in all subjects
• Oxford Reference Online - search across multiple works in all subjects

See also our list of Quick reference sources.

Subject-specific works and collections

• Brill's New Jacoby - fragments of ancient text
• Brill's New Pauly - encyclopedia of the ancient world
• British Pharmacopoeia
• Gale Virtual Reference Library - covers arts and humanities
• Catholic Encyclopedia
• Development Control Practice
• Dictionary of Food Science and Technology on FSTA (once connected to FSTA click on the Dictionary link on the right of the screen)
• International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences ( Athens login required for off-campus use)
• Grove Art Online - see Oxford Art Online
• Grove Music Online - see Oxford Music Online
• ISIHighlyCited - a gateway to the most influential scientists and scholars
• OED - Oxford English dictionary
• Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC International - chemical analysis
• Oxford Art Online
• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
• Oxford Language Dictionaries Online - French, German, Italian and Spanish
• Oxford Music Online
• Who's Who & Who Was Who