Quick e-Reference Sources

This page offers useful links to free Reference sources on the World Wide Web. Select a category to go straight to that section from the pull-down menu.
Note: Links to subject-specific Internet resources are also available in our Help Section's Subject Guides. Search for these resources by subject in this directory page.

Acronyms

• The Acronyms Database
• Acronym Finder
• Medical Abbreviations Dictionary

Biographical Information

• Biography Channel Online
• Biographical Dictionary

Business

• Annual Report Resource Center (IRIN)
• Bond Markets & Prices (The Bond Market Association)
• CCH Financial Planning Toolkit
• D&B US company search by regions
• EDGAR - SEC Filings
• Export.gov: U.S. Government Export Portal
• The Federal Reserve System
  • Fed in Print (economic research publications)
  • Beige Book (summary of economic conditions in each Federal Reserve district)
  • FRASER (Federal Reserve Archival System of Economic Research)
• Historical Stock Quotes and Charts (BigCharts)
• Hoover's Online Business Directory
• Income Tax Treaties: IRS
• Markets Data Center (Wall Street Journal)
• MarketWatch - Investor Tools
• Sample Business Plans
• ThomasNet (formerly Thomas Register)
• Trade Show Directory
• Treasury bills, notes, bonds, and TIPS auction results (U.S. Dept. of the Treasury)
• U.S. Census Bureau Economic Data
• U.S. Customs - Import/Export

Careers, Occupations & Job Hunting

• Career InfoNet
• Career Voyages
• Careers.org
• Occupational Outlook Handbook
• O*NET OnLine [job descriptions]
• The Riley Guide: Employment Opportunities and Job Resources on the Internet
• ScienceCareers.org
• More links: Job Hunting in Broward County and South Florida

Consumer Information

• ABA Consumer's Guide to Legal Help on the Internet
• Better Business Bureau
• Consumer Web Watch
• Edmund's Car Buying Guide
• EPA fuel economy information page
• Federal Citizen Information Center
• First Call for Help of Broward
• Household Products Database: Health & Safety Information
• Kelley Blue Book Car Guide
• U.S. Government Recalls

Country Information

• BBC News Country Profiles
• CIA World Factbook
• NationMaster.com

Dictionaries

• American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
• Glossarist.com: Glossaries and Subject Dictionaries
• InvestorWords.com: Glossary of Financial Terms
• Merriam-Webster Online
• Rhyming Dictionary
• Webopedia: Online Dictionary for Computer and Internet Terms

Directories

• Area Codes by Number
• Area Codes by State/Country
• BigBook: Address Finder and Business Directory
• Free Online Lookups: Multiple Directories
• Infobel: Worldwide Telephone Directories
• NSU Phone/Email Directory
• Reverse Phone Directory
• Public Record Locator
• State Data Center Directory: Census Bureau
• Zip Code Lookup: USPS

Education

• Educational Testing Service (ETS)
• Education Resource Organizations Directory (EROD)
• Educator's Reference Desk
• National Education Association (NEA)
• National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
• New York Times Learning Network
• PBS TeacherSource
• Refdesk.com: Education and Teaching Links
• School Psychology Resources Online
• State Education Agencies
• U.S. Department of Education (DOE)
• U.S. National Library of Education (NLE)

Encyclopedias

• Columbia Encyclopedia
• Encyclopaedia Britannica

Government Information

• Government Printing Office's Ask-a-librarian service to the public: supported by government document depository librarians.
• Federal Web Locator
• GovEngine: Federal, State, Local, and Court Resources
• Government Documents Center: University of Michigan
• GPO Access: Government Printing Office
• Library of Congress Portals to the World: Links to Electronic Resources from Around the World
• MyFlorida.com
• THOMAS: Legislative information from the Library of Congress
• U.S. House of Representatives
• U.S. Senate
• U.S. Supreme Court
• USA.gov: The U.S. Government's Official Web Portal
• The White House

Grammar

• American Heritage Book of English Usage
• The Bedford Handbook (interactive grammar exercises)
• Blue Pencil Online (interactive grammar exercises)
• Common Errors in English: Washington State University
• Modern English Grammar: College of DuPage
• Practice Exercises and Answers (Purdue University OWL)
• The Elements of Style

Health & Medicine

• American Medical Association (AMA)
• AMA: Atlas of the Body
• CDC: Diseases & Conditions
• CDC: Health & Safety Topics
• HealthFinder
• Hospital Compare (U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services)
• MedlinePlus: National Library of Medicine (También en español!)
• Merck Manuals
• National Health Information Center
• National Institute of Mental Health
• Partnership For Prescription Assistance
• PDRhealth: Drug Information
• WebMD

Humanities

• Electronic Literature Directory
• HLAS Online (Latin American studies)
• National Endowment for the Humanities: Edsitement
• National Endowment for the Arts
• Performing Arts Encyclopedia

Law

• ABA Consumer's Guide to Legal Help on the Internet
• FindLaw: Internet Legal Resources
• Florida Statutes
• Global Legal Information Network: Library of Congress
• GovEngine: Federal, State, Local, and Court Resources
• Internet Resources compiled by NSU Shepard Broad Law Center librarians
• Legal Information Institute: Cornell Law School
• Attorney directory from Martindale
• Nolo Law for All
• Rule of Law Resource Center from LexisNexis

Maps and Geographical Information

• GIS Gateway: Census Bureau
• Maps on Us
• MapQuest
• National Atlas of the United States
• National Geographic's MapMachine
• Panoramic Map Collection: Library of Congress
• Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection
• Rand McNally
• U.S. Gazetteer: Census Bureau
• US Geological Survey: Maps
• Yahoo! Maps

Politics

• Candidates on the Issues
• Democratic National Committee
• Elections and Electoral Systems by Country
• Factcheck.org
• Green Parties of North America
• Initiative and Referendum Institute
• League of Women Voters
• Libertarian Party
• Project Vote Smart
• Reform Party
• Republican National Committee

Public Affairs

• Center for Public Integrity
• Country Briefings from The Economist
• C-SPAN: Public Affairs on the Web
• Library of Congress Portals to the World: Links to Electronic Resources from Around the World
• Public Agenda Online
• Reuters Foundation AlertNet
• United Nations Global Teaching and Learning Project

Quotations

• Bartlett's Familiar Quotations
• Simpson's Contemporary Quotations

Reference Collections

• Bartleby.com: Electronic Reference Collection
• DeskRef: Sources for Quick Answers
• Digital Library Production Service: University of Michigan
• Florida Electronic Library: Valid Florida Public Library Card Number Required
• InfoPlease Online Reference Collection
• Internet Public Library Electronic Reference Desk

Science

• Environmental Protection Agency
• Intute: Science, Engineering and Technology
• ISIHighlyCited.com
• National Council for Science and the Environment
• Science.gov: USA.Gov for Science
• Scirus: science-specific Internet search engine
• Tech Xtra: engineering, mathematics, and computing search engine

Statistics

• Broward-by-the-Numbers: Statistical Reports from Broward County's Office of Urban Planning and Redevelopment
• Bureau of Labor Statistics
• FEDSTATS: Gateway to Statistics from over 100 U.S. Federal Agencies
• Florida CensusData Center
• International Statistical Agencies
• NationMaster.com
• Statistical Resources on the Web: University of Michigan
• U.S. Census Bureau
  • American FactFinder
  • CenStats Databases
  • Census Atlas of the United States
    
  • State and County QuickFacts
  • Statistical Abstract of the United States (1878-present)
  • Census of Population and Housing Data (1790-present)
• United Nations Statistical Database

Style & Citation Guides

• APA Style: Documenting Sources
• APA Style Tutorial
• APA Style Tips
• Documentation Guidelines for citing sources and avoiding plagiarism: Duke University.
• MLA Style: Documenting Sources
• MLA Style FAQs
• Using APA Format: Purdue University OWL
• Using MLA Format: Purdue University OWL

Thesauri

• Roget's II: The New Thesaurus
• Visual Thesaurus: Animated Displays of Words

Time, Currency, & Measures

• The Currency Site: FXConverter
• Measure 4 Measure: Gateway to measurement sites in Science/Math, Health, Finance, etc.
• Online Conversion: Convert just about anything to anything else
• The World Clock: Time Zones

Web Directories

• BUBL Link: Directory of Internet Resources
• Librarians' Index to the Internet
• ODP: Open Directory Project