Mikkelsen Library: Government: Home

Get Started: Background Resources

Encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, etc. are often a great way to start your research. They can help you understand your research topic, define terms that may appear in scholarly journal articles, and gather background information to build context.

CREDO Reference This link opens in a new window A full-text online reference service, CREDO contains dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries, thesauri, encyclopedias, quotations and atlases, plus a wide range of subject-specific titles covering everything from art to accountancy, science to Shakespeare and law to literature.

How Do I...?

How Do I...?
Answers for our most frequently asked questions (FAQs).

Beginning Your Research: General Resources

These resources provide access to magazine, newspaper and scholarly articles on a variety of topics.

Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new window A multi-disciplinary database with full text in many topics including the social sciences, humanities, general science, education and most areas of academic study.
ProQuest This link opens in a new window Search a comprehensive file of periodicals for a broad range of subject areas including arts, business, children, education, general interest, health, humanities, international, law, military, multicultural, psychology, sciences, social sciences, and women's interests.

Books & ebooks

Guide to Finding Items in the Library

Scholarly Sources

Nexis Uni (formerly LexisNexis) This link opens in a new window
Full text articles, documents, and other materials from newspapers, business and trade journals, general interest magazines, company reports, legal and tax documents.
JSTOR Security Studies This link opens in a new window
SIRS Issues Researcher This link opens in a new window A general reference database containing full-text articles exploring social, scientific, health, historic, business, economic, political and global issues.