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Oxford Reference Online contains the full text of 135 reference books
from Oxford University Press. The wide range of quality sources
cover all subjects. See a list of specific titles here.
Oxford
Reference Online is useful for looking up information you would find in
encyclopedias and dictionaries (including foreign language
dictionaries), as well as finding more in depth information in sources
such as The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature and The
Oxford Guide to the United States Government. Oxford Reference Online can be accessed from on
campus, or off campus with an APSU ID
How To Search Oxford Reference Online
Oxford Reference Online is arranged on two levels: subject areas
(e.g., Literature) and by specific book titles (e.g., A Dictionary
of Shakespeare). You may search within the entire database, specific subject
area(s), or specific book title(s).
How to Search
When you enter Oxford Reference Online, you may choose to
search in Quick, Advanced or Search within a subject mode.
Quick Search: Type a word or phrase into the search box and
click <GO>. Your search term will be searched in all books
(over 100) contained in the Oxford Reference Online, or you may
select a subject area and perform a Quick Search within that
subject. The results list will display on the right hand side of the
screen with the source of the entry listed in parentheses. You may
sort your results by relevance, subject, book or alphabetically.
Click on the entry heading link to go to the full entry for the term.
The Browse tool (located at the top of the screen) lets you scan a list of entries. Entries
are listed alphabetically and are similar to an index in a print book.
How to Limit
The Advanced Search allows you to refine your search by
placing specific limits on your search. Type your search term in
the search box and select which field you want to search (full text,
entry headings, people, or dates) using the drop-down menu in the Refine
your Search box. The Full Text field is the default search
for the Advanced Search. You may also limit your
search term to the Entry Headings field. Selecting
the People field allows you to search your term as a
name only. Selecting the Dates field allows you to
search for a date as opposed to just a number. The Advanced Search allows
you to utilize Boolean or Pattern (exact and similar matches) searching
to improve your search results. You may search by specific
subject area (e.g., Art & Architecture), or specific book title (e.g.,
A
Dictionary of Architecture). For more information on the Advanced
Search click here.
Using Search within a subject allows you to select a
broad subject area, such as Biological Sciences, and search all
titles in that subject or a single title.
NOTE: The Browse, Quick Search and Advanced Search
features are available within each search level (entire database,
subject area, or book title).
Displaying Results
When you perform a search at any level in Oxford Reference Online,
a list of your search results will display on the right hand side of
your screen. You must click on the entry term to display the full
text of the term.
When viewing a full entry, the Cross-Reference link allows you to find information
about a word, person or place mentioned in the entry. Use your mouse to
highlight your term and then click the Cross-Reference
link. Your term will be searched across the entire database for
cross references.
Printing and Emailing
To print your results list or specific entry full text, use your
browser's print button. If you would like to email the full text
for a specific entry, use the Email this entry button on the
bottom left side of the screen.
To find out more about the different features available in Oxford
Reference Online, use the
HELP screens embedded throughout the database.
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