Dictionaries help to clarify terminology by providing definitions of terms and can be a good source of potential keywords for searches in the catalog or databases.

• APA Dictionary of Psychology.
  Publisher: Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2007.
  Call Number: MAIN Reference 150.3 A639
• A Dictionary of Psychology.
  Publisher: Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
  Online Access: click for full text
• The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology. 4th. ed.
  Publisher: New York: Penguin Books, 2009.
  Call Number: MAIN Reference 150.321 R291p 2009
  Online Access: click for full text
• The Counseling Dictionary : Concise Definitions of Frequently Used Terms. 2nd ed.
  Publisher: Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2006.
  Call Number: MAIN Reference 361.0603 G542c
• Campbell's Psychiatric Dictionary. 9th ed.
  Publisher: Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
  Call Number: MAIN Reference 616.89003 C189c 2009
• Dictionary of Psychological Testing, Assessment and Treatment. 2nd ed.
  Publisher: London ; Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2007.
  Call Number: MAIN Reference 150.287 S932d
  Online Access: click for full text

Encyclopedias provide background information on key concepts, theories and measures related to your topic. Encyclopedia articles typically provide references to further readings where you can find additional detailed information on your topic.

• Encyclopedia of Psychology.
  Publisher: Washington, D.C. Oxford ; New York: American Psychological Association ; Oxford University Press, 2000.
  Call Number: MAIN Reference (Encyclopedia case) & SCHAFFNER Reference 150.3 E564
• The Concise Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science.
  Publisher: Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2005.
  Online Access: click for full text
• Elsevier's Dictionary of Psychological Theories.
  Publisher: Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2008.
  Call Number: MAIN Reference 150.3 E49
  Online Access: click for full text
• Encyclopedia of Mental Health. 2nd ed.
  Publisher: New York: Facts on File, 2001.
  Call Number: MAIN Reference 616.89003 K12e 2001
• The Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Health.
  Publisher: Detroit: Gale, 2008.
  Online Access: click for full text
• The Encyclopedia of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Psychoanalysis. 1st ed.
  Publisher: New York: Henry Holt, 1996.
  Call Number: MAIN Reference & SCHAFFNER Reference 616.89003 E56
• Encyclopedia of Counseling.
  Publisher: Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, 2008.
  Online Access: click for full text
• Encyclopedia of Psychological Assessment.
  Publisher: Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2003.
  Call Number: MAIN Reference 150.28703 E56
• International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences.
  Publisher: Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2001.
  Call Number: MAIN Reference 300.3 I61
  Online Access: click for full text
• Encyclopedia of School Psychology.
  Publisher: Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 2005.
  Call Number: MAIN Reference 370.15 E56
  Online Access: click for full text
• Encyclopedia of Clinical Child and Pediatric Psychology.
  Publisher: New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, 2003.
  Call Number: MAIN Reference 618.9289 E56
• Encyclopedia of Adolescence.
  Publisher: Amsterdam ; Boston: Elsevier/Academic Press, 2011.
  Online Access: click for full text
• The Gale Encyclopedia of Childhood & Adolescence.
  Publisher: Detroit: Gale, 1998.
  Call Number: MAIN Reference & SCHAFFNER Reference 305.23103 G151
• Encyclopedia of Educational Psychology.
  Publisher: Los Angeles: Sage Publications, 2008.
  Call Number: MAIN Reference 370.1503 E56