Reference works such as handbooks, dictionaries, encyclopedias, directories, bibliographies, etc. provide useful background information which helps start your research.
Sage Knowledge - An online collection of subject encyclopedias and handbooks covering a wide-variety of subjects in the social sciences. Browse by the subject area "Education" to view all the titles available.
Blackwell Reference Online - Collection of reference books across the social sciences and humanities, with a particular strength in handbooks. You may start with browsing the title Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology and The Blackwell Companion to Sociology.
