Tips for Success
Gathering background information, getting a general overview, and building context for your topic are some of the first steps to doing research. You may also pick up related terms, concepts, and synonyms you can use in your searching.
Some good places to look for background information are:
- Encyclopedias
- Dictionaries
- Handbooks
- Basic books (handbooks, possibly textbooks)
Libraries have subject-specific encyclopedias and dictionaries that have more information than reference books you may have seen before.
Other Reference Resources
The library has databases that are collections of encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference works. However, these are not necessarily great sources for geology at this time.
A collection of onine reference material that covers sociology, social work, multicultural and gender studies,political science, psychology, anthropology, criminal justice, health & medicine. Main page allows for searching across all titles and subjects in the collection.
Alkek reference source for ideas on keywords and background information. Has images and concept map too. See the tutorial below and more info about Credo Reference below.
Geology Reference Books
The majority of our geology encyclopedias and dictionaries are online. You can click on the title and then the View Online link. If you are off-campus, you will need to sign in with your NetID and password.
Encyclopedia of Geology by
This unrivalled, five-volume reference work covers all aspects of geology including earth history, earth materials, surface processes, regional geology, economic geology, engineering geology, petroleum geology, geochemical and mineral exploration, and the history of geology. The techniques of remote sensing and other tools of investigation that have advanced rapidly over the last few decades are described in detail. Encyclopedia of Geology is divided into 340 articles, each covering one aspect of geology. The concepts and theory are explained at a level that allows undergraduates and educated lay people to understand them. The reference has been planned and structured to provide the user with a comprehensive coverage of the core knowledge in each area. It will become the reference of choice for today's geologists and beyond. Also available online via ScienceDirect - featuring extensive browsing, searching, and internal cross-referencing between articles in the work, plus dynamic linking to journal articles and abstract databases, making navigation flexible and easy. For more information, pricing options and availability visit www.info.sciencedirect.com. 340 articles Over 2500 pages Full colour throughout Theory and applications of geology Extensive cross-referencing Further Reading lists accompany each article
Call Number: ebookISBN: 9780123693969Publication Date: 2004-12-16
Encyclopedia of Geomorphology by
Geomorphology, the discipline which analyzes the history and nature of the earth's surface, deals with the landforms produced by erosion, weathering, deposition, transport and tectonic processes. In recent decades there have been major developments in the discipline and these are reflected in this major Encyclopedia, the first such reference work in the field to be published for thirty-five years. Encyclopedia of Geomorphologyhas been produced in association with the International Association of Geomorphologists (IAG) and has a truly global perspective. The entries have been written by an international editorial team of contributors, drawn from over thirty countries, who are all among the leading experts in the discipline. In two lavishly illustrated volumes, Encyclopediacontains nearly 700 alphabetically organized entries to provide a comprehensive guide both to specific landforms and to the major types of geomorphological processes that create them. The Encyclopediaalso demonstrates the major developments that have taken place in recent years in our knowledge of tectonic and climatic changes and in the use of new techniques such as modelling, remote sensing and process measurement. Older concepts, however, are not forgotten and provide an historical perspective on the development of ideas. Both accessible and authoritative, Encyclopedia of Geomorphologyis destined to become the definitive resource for students, researchers and applied practitioners in the field of geomorphology and the cognate disciplines of geography, earth science, sedimentology and environmental science.
Call Number: ebookISBN: 9780203381137Publication Date: 2013-04-15
Encyclopedia of Solid Earth Geophysics
The past few decades have witnessed the growth of the Earth Sciences in the pursuit of knowledge and understanding of the planet that we live on. This development addresses the challenging endeavor to enrich human lives with the bounties of Nature as well as to preserve the planet for the generations to come. Solid Earth Geophysics aspires to define and quantify the internal structure and processes of the Earth in terms of the principles of physics and forms the intrinsic framework, which other allied disciplines utilize for more specific investigations. The first edition of the Encyclopedia of Solid Earth Geophysics was published in 1989 by Van Nostrand Reinhold publishing company. More than two decades later, this new volume, edited by Prof. Harsh K. Gupta, represents a thoroughly revised and expanded reference work. It brings together more than 200 articles covering established and new concepts of Geophysics across the various sub-disciplines such as Gravity, Geodesy, Geomagnetism, Seismology, Seismics, Deep Earth Processes, Plate Tectonics, Thermal Domains, Computational Methods, etc. in a systematic and consistent format and standard. It is an authoritative and current reference source with extraordinary width of scope. It draws its unique strength from the expert contributions of editors and authors across the globe. It is designed to serve as a valuable and cherished source of information for current and future generations of professionals.
Call Number: ebookISBN: 9789048187010Publication Date: 2011-06-29
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Earth Science
Derived 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
Call Number: ebookISBN: 0071417982Publication Date: 2003-01-01
The Oxford Companion to the Earth by
How old is the Earth? Is it really likely to be hit by a meteorite? What can Antarctic ice cores and Milankovitch cycles tell us about global warming? What is a Milankovitch cycle anyway? Where would you find black smokers? Are they ever likely to be useful? What causes tornadoes? Should youworry if you live near a transform plate boundary? What is the difference between a tidal wave and a tsunami? Does it matter? Can rocks affect your health? Answers to these and many similar questions will be found in the Oxford Companion to the Earth. The aim of the Companion is to provide conciseand readable accounts of the main phenomena and processes relating to the Earth. Like the other Oxford Companions, it is aimed at a wide readership, and will appeal both to professional Earth scientists seeking an accessible digest of topics outside their own areas of specialization, as well as tothe general reader wishing an approachable reference to our planet and the environment. For all these readers, and many more, the Companion will not only provide a valuable source of reference but also fascinating and informative browsing. The scope of the Companion is wide: it is concerned withthe entire planetary environment on which all living things (ourselves included) depend: the atmosphere and the oceans as well as the solid Earth. And since we can no longer consider the Earth in isolation, information about other parts of the Solar System also finds a place here. Included in theCompanion: Over 900 entries, from acid rain to zoogeomorphology, and over 200 expert contributors Complete coverage of the Earth sciences, including geology, geophysics, geochemistry, geodesy, geomorphology, soil science, glaciology, oceanography, climatology, meteorology, enviromental and resourcedevelopment, volcanology, and the history of the Earth sciences Over 800 pages with 600 illustrations and 16 pages of full colour plates Useful appendices, including detailed index, geological timescale, facts and figures about the Earth and its near neighbours, table of chemical elements. TheCompanion is a unique and important reference source which will be invaluable to anyone with an interest in the Earth, its history, formation, and environment.
Call Number: ebookISBN: 0198540396
Encyclopedia of Marine Geosciences by
Globally growing demand of energy and mineral resources, reliable future projection of climate processes and the protection of coasts to mitigate the threats of disasters and hazards require a comprehensive understanding of the structure, ongoing processes and genesis of the marine geosphere. Beyond the "classical" research fields in marine geology in current time more general concepts have been evolved integrating marine geophysics, hydrography, marine biology, climatology and ecology. As an umbrella the term "marine geosciences" has been broadly accepted for this new complex field of research and the solutions of practical tasks in the marine realm. The "Encyclopedia of Marine Geosciences" comprises the current knowledge in marine geosciences whereby not only basic but also applied and technical sciences are covered. Through this concept a broad scale of users in the field of marine sciences and techniques is addressed from students and scholars in academia to engineers and decision makers in industry and politics.
Call Number: ebookISBN: 9789400762381Publication Date: 2016-07-04
