Encyclopedias and dictionaries are tertiary sources. These publications summarize information about a topic, idea, or event and give you important background and context. They are particularly important to consult when you don't know very much about your topic, as they can give you names, dates, and locations to begin your in-depth research. Tertiary sources are not meant to be read cover-to-cover.
Bibliographies are lists of writings that share a common factor such as time period, theme, topic, or language. Some bibliographies may be very broad, like The Study of History: A Bibliographical Guide, and some may be quite narrow, such as Women in the United States Military: An Annotated Bibliography. These will give pertinent information on what topics have already been written about on a subject, allowing you to see if your idea is a fresh take as well as guiding you to early research on your topic. Indexes are alphabetical lists of names or subjects found in a publication or field. Again, this lets you see what type of research has previously been done on a topic you may be interested in.
Can't find a book, article, chapter, or other resource at the FGCU Library that you really need? Try interlibrary loan, which allows you to borrow materials from other libraries.
If you can't find the title you're looking for in the Library Catalog, please use the following link to the request form. You will need to log in with your FGCU email and password to access the form.
