MCCC Library Guides: SWK 151 Social Services: Reference Databases

Reference Databases - What are they? What are they good for?

What do Reference Databases include?

Handbooks
Dictionaries
Encyclopedias
Some are specific to specific disciplines - such as art, history, literature, psychology, etc.
Cover a wide variety of topics

What are Reference Databases good for?

Find definitions, statistics, and biographical and historical information
Find overview information
Obtain background on your topic and get started
Help you decide if a topic choice will work for your assignment

Ask a librarian or your instructor for assistance

Reference Databases - Credo Reference

Credo Reference (Infobase) This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Find definitions, pronunciations, images, maps, overviews, and topic introductions from hundreds of subject encyclopedias, dictionaries and handbooks. Covers art, medicine, history, technology, literature and more. Use the Mind Map feature to identify related terms and topics.
- Citation information is available at bottom of each article
- How to Run a Basic Search on Credo (video from Credo, 3:07)
- Mind Map Tutorial (video from Credo, 2:06)
- Credo Reference Image Search (video from Credo, 1:39)

Search Example

Find definitions or overviews on a topic, for example Credo search on Child Abuse

You may limit the results by Subject Area (such as Social Sciences - Sociology), Article Length (long, short), Types (definitions, reference) and more.

Mind Map Example

Identify potential related terms and topics to explore. The Credo Mind Map for Child Abuse identifies Neglect, Domestic Violence, Psychological Abuse, and Sexual Abuse as possibilities.