About reference sources
Reference sources are a great place to get started when you research! These include dictionaries, handbooks, encyclopedias and other types of material that are written for a more general (as opposed to scholarly) audiences. Using reference sources to spark you interest and ideas about a topic you want to explore is one way to use them. You can also use them to gather basic background information about a topic before jumping into the scholarly databases. Below are just some resources that you can use to get started:
Reference Sources
Subject-specific dictionaries are useful for those working on cross-displinary projects and students new to a discipline.
- Glossary of Geology byPublication Date: 2011AGI is proud to feature this Fifth REVISED edition of the Glossary of Geology. This indispensable reference tool contains nearly 40,000 entries, including 3,600 new terms and nearly 13,000 entries with revised definitions from the previous edition.
- The Encyclopedia of the Solid Earth Sciences byPublication Date: 2009-07-17From AMETHYST to ARTESIAN SPRING, from COAL GAS to CONTINENTAL DRIFT, from SEISMOGRAM to STROMATOLITE, the Encylopedia of the Solid Earth Sciences provides a comprehensive modern reference text for all the subdisciplines of the Earth Sciences. The Encyclopedia is primarily intended for professional earth scientists and those specializing in related subjects. However, it will also provide an important reference for students of the Earth Sciences and those needing information on terms in current usage. The book contains three main styles of entry: articles up to 1500 words on major topics such as plate tectonics, standard entries of up to a couple of hundred words on topics such as groups of minerals,and brief definitions of, for instance, individual minerals.
- A Dictionary of Earth Sciences byPublication Date: 2008-04-07This leading dictionary--now in its third edition--offers wide-ranging and authoritative coverage of the earth sciences and related topics. In more than 6,250 clear and accessible entries, it covers geology, oceanography, paleontology, mineralogy, volcanology, and planetary science as well as climatology, geochemistry, and petrology.
- McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Earth SciencePublication Date: 2003-01-01Derived from the content of the respected "McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, " Sixth Edition, each title provides thousands of definitions of words and phrases encountered in a specific discipline. All include: * Pronunciation guide for every term * Acronyms, cross-references, and abbreviations * Appendices with conversion tables; listings of scientific, technical, and mathematical notation; tables of relevant data; and more * A convenient, quick-find format
Specialized encyclopedias provide a wealth of information, such as basic, background information on a topic, bibliographies of articles, books, and other materials on a topic, and images, sounds, and graphics to add interest to your presentations and posters.
- Encyclopedia of Remote Sensing byPublication Date: 2014-02-25Remote sensing has revolutionized the scientific study of the Earth by enabling measurements of more detailed and hitherto unexplored phenomena with spatially-extensive and global perspectives. Various disciplines and industries have benefited from the dramatic discoveries enabled by remote sensing.
- Encyclopedia of Scientific Dating Methods byPublication Date: 2015-06-26This volume provides an overview of (1) the physical and chemical foundations of dating methods and (2) the applications of dating methods in the geological sciences, biology, and archaeology, in almost 200 articles from over 200 international authors.
Handbooks provide standard information, including tables of data, citations to literature, and brief synopses of topics.
Geoscience Handbook - AGI Data Sheets (4th Edition) by Publication Date: 2009One of the best-kept secrets in geology is this handy compilation of geological information. The essential reference for geoscientists in the field, office, or lab, this book provides quick reference for the key metrics and concepts, as well as short tutorials on subjects that may not be familiar to all geoscientists.
