Guides and databases: General &amp; Reference Resources: Welcome

Welcome and overview of subject area

These pages have been put together to highlight general resources and reference resources for all subject areas. Printed reference works can be found in all UCL libraries, but the largest collection of general works which has the shelfmark REFERENCE is located in UCL Main Library, and here are some of the key online resources:

American National Biography
Portraits of over 17000 Americans. Accessibility statement for American National Biography.
Britannica Academic Online
Online version of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, with added content from magazines, videos and websites. Also includes a world atlas, Merriam-Webster dictionary and thesaurus, quotations database and introduction to classic literary works.
British National Bibliography
Database of books and new journal titles published or distributed in the United Kingdom and Ireland since 1950, provided by the British Library.
Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography
Information on the history of science through articles on the professional lives of scientists. All periods of science from classical antiquity to modern times are represented.
Dictionnaires des 16e et 17e s. / Dictionaries of the 16th and 17th centuries
Dictionnaires des 16e et 17es offers online access to ten French dictionaries published in the 16th and 17th centuries
Duden Online
Key dictionary of the German language including definitions and grammar.
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Online version of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, with added content from magazines, videos and websites. Also includes a world atlas, Merriam-Webster dictionary and thesaurus, quotations database and introduction to classic literary works.
European Sources Online (ESO)
European Sources Online (ESO) provides access to information on the institutions and activities of the European Union, the countries, regions and other international organisations of Europe, and on issues of importance to European researchers, citizens and stakeholders
Eurostat
Eurostat is the statistical office of the European Union, providing statistics that enable comparisons between countries and regions.
Larousse Dictionaries
21 free online dictionaries including a French dictionary and bilingual dictionaries.
Merriam Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus
English dictionary and thesaurus, available to search through the website of the online version of the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Office for National Statistics
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the UKs largest independent producer of official statistics and is the recognised national statistical institute for the UK.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Illustrated collection of more than 50,000 specially written biographies of the men and women who shaped all aspects of Britain's past, from the fourth century BC to the present. Original biographies as they appeared in the Victorian Dictionary of National Biography are accessible by clicking on DNB Archive at the bottom of the page if they have been superseded.
Oxford Language Dictionaries
Full bi-lingual dictionaries, between English and French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic and Portuguese. Accessibility statement for Oxford language dictionaries online.
Oxford Reference Online
Full text of dictionaries, language reference, and subject reference works published by Oxford University Press, including 130 English and bilingual dictionaries. Accessibility statement for Oxford Reference.
Ulrichsweb
Information on virtually every active and ceased periodical (journal), annual, irregular publication, and monographic series published throughout the world, plus thousands of newpapers.
Who's Who and Who Was Who
Biographical information on more than 30,000 living people of influence and interest in all fields, from all parts of the world. Also includes over 100,000 entries from the archives of Whos Who dating back to 1898.

World Factbook
Information about countries of the world produced for US policymakers and coordinated throughout the US Intelligence Community.

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Welcome and overview of subject area

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