Visit with a reference librarian at The Commons @ Gorham Library or Glickman Library in Portland, or get in touch by phone, email, or IM/Chat

Reference sources are normally used to obtain quick facts such as definitions, statistics, brief biographies, etc. They are a great place to get started on your research. For instance, defining unfamiliar terms or exploring different aspects of your topic in a subject-specific encyclopedia may be an effective way to brainstorm for ways to approach your research. These are just a few of those that are available through USM libraries.

Dictionary of Multicultural Education
GOR Reference LC1099 .D53 1997

Encyclopedia of Education (Macmillan)

Encyclopedia of Educational Leadership
GOR Reference LB 2805 .E527 2006 [2 vols]

Encyclopedia of School Psychology (Sage)

Encyclopedia of Special Education
GOR Reference LC4007 .E53 2007 [3 vols]

Gale Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence
GOR and POR Reference HQ 772 .G27 1998

Maine School Law
GOR Reference KF 4119 .Z99 M24 2006

Mental Measurements Yearbook (9th through 16th yearbooks)

Praeger Handbook of Learning and the Brain
GOR Reference LB 1060 .P683 2006 [2 vols]

Sage Handbook for Research in Education: engaging ideas and enriching inquiry
GOR Reference LB 1028 .S14 2006

Youth Education and Sexualities
GOR Reference LC 192.6 .Y68 2005 [2 vols]  

If you don't have a particular journal or article in mind, but are hoping to find journal articles on your topic, go directly to one of the databases below. If you are looking for a particular article from a particular journal, find out which USM database indexes that journal by searching the USM e-journals collection or whether USM libraries own the title in print by searching the print journals collection.

Education Full Text: Education Full Text, published by H.W. Wilson, provides high-quality indexing and abstracts for an international range of English-language education journals, books, and yearbooks. More than 725 Journals are indexed “cover to cover” going back to 1983. Full text articles are provided for over 350 journals going back to 1996. ArticleLinker connects to additional full-text articles and points to library holdings in print and microform.

ERIC: The Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) provides a database of journal and non-journal education literature for K-12 teachers, school administrators, education faculty, school psychologists and education students. ERIC is sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education. This database contains more than 1.2 million citations going back to 1966. More than 110,000 full-text non-journal documents (from years 1993-present) are included in the database. The EBSCO version connects to many full-text journal articles through Linked Full Text and Article Linker.

PsycINFO: Index to the professional and academic literature in psychology and related disciplines, including medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, physiology, linguistics, and other areas. Coverage includes references and abstracts to over 1,300 journals in more than 20 languages, and to book chapters and books in the English language. The database includes information from empirical studies, case studies, surveys, bibliographies, literature reviews, discussion articles, conference reports and dissertations.

Mental Measurements Yearbook: Contains the most recent descriptive information and critical reviews of new and revised tests from the Buros Institute's 9th through 16th yearbooks. The database covers more than 2,200 commercially-available tests in categories such as personality, developmental, behavioral assessment, neuropsychological, achievement, intelligence and aptitude, educational, speech & hearing, and sensory motor.

More databases: Education and Human Resource Development Resources by Subject Page.

Books

Ursus Catalog: The online catalog of the University of Maine System Libraries as well as the Maine State Library, the Maine State Law and Legislative Reference Library and the Bangor Public Library. It is possible to request to have books sent from one campus to another that is closer to you. Visit the UMS URSUS Tutorial for more info.

MaineCat: This catalog searches a wider range of libraries than URSUS, though all are within the state of Maine. It is possible to request to have books sent from one campus to another that is closer to you.

World Cat: "Allows users to search the collections of libraries in their communities and thousands more around the world."

Web sites can be excellent sources of information, but require that you think critically about the information presented, especially since anyone can publish a Web site whether they are an expert on the topic being presented or not. Here are a few reliable sources of information that are pertinent to future and present educators. For other reliable Web sites, try the Librarians' Internet Index education Web sites index .

Free Federal Resources for Educational Excellence
"More than 1600 federal teaching and learning resources organized by subject: art, history, language arts, math, science, and others..."

Digest of Educational Statistics
"The primary purpose of the Digest of Education Statistics is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from prekindergarten through graduate school."

The Condition of Education
"...reviews 65 indicators on the most significant national measures of the condition and progress of education. There are tables, charts, and graphs about topics such as popular subject areas for education and student performance." (description from Librarians' Internet Index)

National Archives: Teachers and Students
This site is the "National Archives gateway for resources about primary sources, activities and training for educators and students. Features sample lesson plans for K-12 teachers"

Web sites that will assist you with the process...

Citing References in Your Paper: Examples of citations for sources of difference formats for Chicago/Turabian, MLA and APA styles, from the Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Resources and Documentation Online: a Web-based adaptation of Diana Hacker's
Research and Documentation in the Electronic Age (4th ed.) published by Bedford St. Martin's Press.

Son of Citation Machine: after users select a citation style and enter citation information into a form, Son of Citation Machine arranges the information into a citation. Beware: this tool, though useful, is not foolproof. Be sure to proofread citations generated by this site carefully before including them in your bibliography.

Acadia University Interactive Tutorial: You Quote it, You Note it: A fun and informative way to learn about citing sources. Covers when you are required to cite your sources in order to avoid plagiarizing and the basics of creating citations.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
(POR Reference BF76.7 .P83)
(GOR Reference BF76.7 .P83)
(LEW Reserve BF76.7 .P83)

MLA handbook for writers of research papers
(POR Reference LB2369 .G53 2003 )
(GOR Reference LB2369 .G53 2003)
(LEW Reserve LB2369 .G53 2003 )