LibGuides: English: Reference

The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics

With over 1,100 entries written by an international team of scholars from over 40 countries The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics is a ground breaking reference work covering the highly diverse field of applied linguistics. Access it here.

Reading Poetry

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Poetry Handbook

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Literary Encyclopedia

The Literary Encyclopedia is a constantly evolving and updating repository of authoritative reference work about literary and cultural history. All our articles are solicited by invitation from specialist scholars in higher education institutions all over the world, refereed and approved by subject editors in our Editorial Board. The LE is thus uniquely selective, reliable and authoritative.

Useful Biographical Sources

Dictionary of Irish Biography Online (DIB) This link opens in a new window
The Dictionary of Irish Biography (DIB) is a project of the Royal Irish Academy. DIB provides access to over 11,000 biographical articles describing and assessing the careers of subjects in all fields of endeavour, including politics, law, religion, literature, journalism, architecture, painting, music, the stage, science, medicine, engineering, entertainment and sport of prominent men and women born in Ireland, north and south, and the noteworthy Irish careers of those born outside Ireland.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography This link opens in a new window
The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography is the national record of men and women who have shaped British history and culture, worldwide, from the Romans to the 21st century. The Dictionary offers concise, up-to-date biographies written by named, specialist authors. It is overseen by academic editors at Oxford University, UK, and published by Oxford University Press.

Oxford English Dictionary

Oxford English Dictionary Online This link opens in a new window
OED covers words from across the English-speaking world, from North America to South Africa, from Australia and New Zealand to the Caribbean. It also offers the best in etymological analysis and in listing of variant spellings, and it shows pronunciation using the International Phonetic Alphabet.