ENGL 102
Writing and Research
Home Page >> Research Resources >> Reference Materials

Basic reference sources give you the data--the facts--the statistics that become the foundation for your research paper. Many writers will trust their sources to give them the population of the USA in 1980. Why? What if they are skewing the numbers or using improper sources themselves? Is it so hard to go to the Census Bureau's page or an online Almanac and find that information yourself from a reputable source. This is a nice way of doublechecking the validity of your source. If they get this sort of information wrong, can you trust the rest?.

Internet Public Library - is a regularly updated set of links connecting you to various online encyclopedias, dictionaries, almanacs, etc.

Refdesk - this is an all-in-one site that links to various reference sources. You should be able to find something about your topic here.

Information Please Almanac - This site has most of the common reference tools in one site. The advertising gets annoying, but the data is solid.

Census Bureau - The Census Bureau collects all sorts of data. If you want to know about people, odds are, the Census Bureau has the data for you.

Center for Disease Control - If you are researching a disease or health issue, this site should have the federal (and most state) statistics to help you out.

FedStats - is an online source for statistics generated by the Federal government and all of its bureaus.

Stat-USA - is the main webpage for statistics from the Department of Commerce. If you want economic indicators, this is where to find them.