Research Guides: Sexuality, Women's, & Gender Studies Research Guide: Find Background Information

Reference Sources

Below are links to reference sources and collections that are most useful for this subject:

Reference Universe This link opens in a new window
Searchable index of the library's entire reference collection, both print and electronic.
International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences This link opens in a new window
Scholarly surveys of all aspects of social sciences.
International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences This link opens in a new window
Covers scholarship and fields in the social sciences.

The Sage Encyclopedia of LGBTQ Studies
This encyclopedia focuses on LGBTQ issues and identity primarily through the lenses of psychology, human development and sociology, emphasizing queer, feminist and ecological perspectives on the topic.

Tip: What are reference sources, and why would I use them?

Reference sources can include encyclopedias, bibliographies, dictionaries, handbooks, and atlases.

They provide overviews of and background information on a topic
They help you identify or refine your topic
They provide quick, reliable facts
They include bibliographies that will lead you to additional sources of information on your topic

You can find the Library's collection of reference books on Floor 1 of Frost. We also have many online databases that include collections of edited scholarly encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference sources.