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Why Use Reference Sources?

Credible Reliable Sources:

  • Authoritative publishers
  • Articles are written by well respected scholars/experts in the field

Good Background Information:

  • Efficient method to identify key terms, dates, people, theories

More Effective Database Searching:

  • Provide you with key words to more efficiently search for articles in databases

Bibliographies

  • Most reference articles provide bibliographies that can lead you to new sources in books and journals

CREDO Online Reference

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CREDO provides online access to 650+ full text eBooks including encyclopedias, dictionaries, almanacs, and much more.  Searches can be expanded to include articles in SMU databases for more in depth coverage. Try the Mind Map feature to get ideas for related topics and key words

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Examples from the Winona Library

Encyclopedia of Environmental Ethics and Philosophy

2 volumes

"Examines the philosophical and ethical issues underlying contemporary and historical environmental issues, policies, and debates. Covers concepts, institutions, topics, events, and people"-

The Routledge Companion to Virtue Ethics

This volume emphasizes non-Western varieties of virtue ethics at the same time that it includes work in the many different fields or areas of philosophy where virtue ethics has recently spread its wings. Several chapters make comparisons between virtue ethics and other ways of approaching ethics or political philosophy or show how virtue ethics can be applied to "real world" problems.-- From publisher's description.