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What are reference resources?
Reference resources are designed to provide quick access to specific information and factual data, and can be general or discipline-specific. Examples include:
- encyclopedias
- dictionaries
- biographical sources
- guides
- handbooks
- manuals
They often contain foundational information, such as:
- definitions of terms
- verification of factual information
- overviews on your topic
- background information
- research and writing support
They are useful to consult during the early stages of your research and can help you to:
- learn the terminology appropriate for your topic
- understand your topic's broad context
- establish a coherent organizational structure for your work
UWaterloo Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, and more
The Library has over 150 dictionaries and encyclopedias to choose from!
Visit the Library's Dictionary, encyclopedia and more page to explore
eReference
- Oxford Reference OnlineIncludes titles such as the Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance.
- Literature Online (LION)Full text journal articles and other criticism and reference resources on works relating to English and American literature, and early Canadian poetry.
Coverage: 8th century - present - Literature Resource CenterBiographical entries, overviews, full-text literary criticism, and reviews of writers in all disciplines, from all time periods and from around the world. A GALE product.
Coverage: 1750s - present
- Oxford English DictionaryProvides definitions, history, and pronunciation of 600,000 words— past and present—from across the English-speaking world
Reference and Resources
The Columbia Encyclopedia of Modern Drama by ISBN: 9780231140324Publication Date: 2007 (Online)Dana Porter Reference Collection, Main Floor - PN1861 .C65 2007Continuum Companion to Twentieth Century Theatre by
Publication Date: 2002Dana Porter Reference Collection, Main Floor - PN2035 .C65 2002
International Dictionary of Theatre by Publication Date: 1992Dana Porter Reference Collection, Main Floor - PN2035.I49 1992
Continuum Companion to Twentieth Century Theatre by ISBN: 1847140017Publication Date: 2010 -Also available online
Dana Porter Reference Collection, Main Floor - PN2035 .C65 2002
Illustrated Encyclopedia of World Theatre: With 420 Illustrations and an Index of Play Titles by Publication Date: 1977Dana Porter Reference Collection, Main Floor - PN2035.E2 1977b
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance by Publication Date: 2003Dana Porter Reference Collection, Main Floor - PN2035 .O94 2003; also available online- Theatre Language; a Dictionary of Terms in English of the Drama and Stage from Medieval to Modern Times. by Publication Date: 1961Dana Porter Reference Collection, Main Floor - PN2035.B6; also available online
The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary TheatrePublication Date: 1994Dana Porter Reference Collection, Main Floor - PN1861 .W67 1994
v. 1. Europe; v. 2. Americas; v. 3. Africa; v. 4. The Arab world; v. 5. Asia/Pacific; v. 6. Bibliography/cumulative index
- Dramatic Re-Visions: An Annotated Bibliography of Feminism and Theatre, 1972-1988 by Publication Date: 1991Dana Porter Book Stacks - PN1590.W64S73x 1991
Notable Women in the American Theatre by Publication Date: 1989Available Online and in Print:
Dana Porter Reference Collection, Main Floor - PN2285.N65 1989
The Oxford Companion to Canadian Theatre by ISBN: 0195406729Publication Date: 1989Dana Porter Reference Collection, Main Floor - PN2301.O93x 1989
The Cambridge History of American Theatre by Publication Date: 2008 (online version)Dana Porter Reference Collection, Main Floor - PN2221 .C37 1998
Volume 1: Beginnings to 1870, published in 1998.
Volume 2: 1870 - 1945, published in 1999.
Volume 3: Post-World War II to the 1990s, published in 2000.
The Cambridge History of British Theatre by Publication Date: 2008 (online version)Dana Porter Book Stacks - PN2581 .C36 2004
Volume 1: Origins to 1660, published 2004.
Volume 2: 1660 - 1895, published 2004.
Volume 3: Since 1895, published 2004.
A Companion to Theatre in Australia by Publication Date: 1995Dana Porter Reference Collection, Main Floor - PN3011.C66 1995
Encyclopedia of Asian Theatre by Publication Date: 2006Dana Porter Reference Collection, Main Floor - PN2860 .E53 2007
Historical Dictionary of Russian Theater by Publication Date: 2007Annex - Must place hold to obtain. ; PN2721 .S46 2007
Encyclopedia of Communication Theory by Publication Date: 2009Contains over 300 entries on contemporary communication theories. Concepts cover the areas of interpersonal communication, groups and organizations, media & mass communication, and more.
Encyclopedia of communication theory by ISBN: 1506319149Publication Date: 2009Available Online
This two-volume encyclopedia on communication theory contains more that 300 signed entries which will provide users with an authoritative and and thorough reference resource, both in terms of breadth and depth of coverage.
Dictionary of Media and Communication Studies by Publication Date: 2003Print copy held at: Dana Porter Library, Reference Collection, Main Floor
Call number: P87.5 .W38 2003
Encyclopedia of Rhetoric by Publication Date: 2006Covers the knowledge from classics, philosophy, literature, literary theory, cultural studies, speech and communications, and discusses basic concepts and themes throughout rhetoric.
Encyclopedia of Rhetoric and Composition by Publication Date: 2010Print copy held at: University of Waterloo Library, UW Porter Book stacks, 9th floor, Call number: PN172 .E53 2010
1996 edition available in the Dana Porter Reference Collection, Main Floor, Call number: PN172.E53 1996
Dictionary of Quotations in Communications by Publication Date: 1997Dana Porter Library, Reference Collection, Main Floor
Call number: P90 .D488 1997