Skip to Main Content
Go to Penn Libraries homepage   Go to Guides homepage

Master of Behavioral and Decision Sciences: Getting started

Recommended Reference Works (Encyclopedias, Handbooks, etc)

Strategies for Locating Reference Works

Use dictionaries, encyclopedias, and handbooks to learn quickly about the state of research on your topic. A good encyclopedia article should describe major themes, current research fronts, and controversial areas; it should also provide a brief bibliography of classic, important, or definitive works on your topic. Handbooks generally offer chapters on specific aspects of a topic: together, the handbook's chapters should provide a broad overview of the state of research; individually, chapters may be narrowly focused.

To locate these resources use browse through the recommended works on this guide, search the Franklin catalog with keywords such as:

  • encyclopedias
  • handbooks
  • manuals
  • dictionaries

Also, check out indexes such as the following:

Literature Reviews and Guides to the Literature

Librarian & Coordinator of Social Sciences Collections

Profile Photo
Lauris Olson
Contact:
University of Pennsylvania Libraries
203 Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center
University of Pennsylvania
3420 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6206
U.S.A.
215-898-0119
Website

Librarian & Coordinator of Social Sciences Collections

Profile Photo
Lauris Olson
Contact:
University of Pennsylvania Libraries
203 Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center
University of Pennsylvania
3420 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6206
U.S.A.
215-898-0119
Website
Penn Libraries Home Search the Catalog
(215) 898-7555