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Internet: Recommended Links

To find quick facts, statistics, or background information on a range of topics, try some of the subscription databases or reliable web pages below, which are arranged by subject area.  We also have a collection of print encyclopedias, dictionaries, directories & other sources print sources in the Library's Reference Collection.

 

(* In order to use some of these databases from off-campus, you'll need to follow the off-campus access procedures.)

 

Quick Links:  Encyclopedia Britannica Online * - Dictionaries/Encyclopedias

 

Information Sources For:  Academic Success - Art/Images - Biographies - Biology -

        Business - Career Resources - Chemistry - College and University Web Sites -

        Current & Controversial Issues - Earth Science - Economics - Education -

        English/Literature - Films/Television - Engineering - Geography -

        Government Information - History - Laws & Legal Information - Math - Music -

        Mythology - News & General Reference - Philosophy & Religion - Physics -

        Political Science - Psychology - Science/Health/Technology - Sociology - Statistics -

        Theatre - Writing/Research - Women's Studies

 

Current & Controversial Issues

  • Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center * -- full-text articles from books, newspapers, and other periodicals on current event topics, providing the facts as well as the arguments of each topic's proponents and detractors

  • CQ Researcher * -- report published 44 times a year (online back to Nov. 1991) providing non-biased summaries, reports & bibliographies with multiple viewpoints on current & controversial issues

  • FACTS.com * [a password may be required for initial connection to FACTS.com, even on campus; contact library staff for assistance] -- database providing information on world news events of the last 60 years, current and controversial issues, scientific discoveries and related issues, and access to the World Almanac

  • Wisconsin Policy Research Institute -- a non-profit institute that publishes essays, reports, and public-opinion polls on various current issues relevant to the state of Wisconsin
     

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News & General Reference

  • ProQuest Newsstand * -- news coverage from 300+ U.S. and International News Sources, including the Wisconsin Newsstand *

  • LEXIS-NEXIS Academic * -- news, business, legal, medical & general reference information (biographies, state/country facts, quotations, public opinion, etc.)

  • Associations Unlimited * -- contains detailed descriptions of 154,000 international and U.S. national, regional, state, and local membership organizations in all fields 

  • Google US Government Search limits Google results to US government web sites.

  • Virtual Reference Shelf -- a collection of links, selected by the Library of Congress staff, that provides general and subject-specific reference sources from almanacs to statistics.

  • OAIster -- search engine to digital collections, including audio and video

  • Martindale’s On-line Calculators -- links to hundreds of on-line calculators for math and science and a multitude of other subjects

  • Calendars through the Ages -- links to calendars and their descriptive histories

  • The Online Books Page --This site hosted by the University of Pennsylvania Library facilitates access to books that are freely readable over the Internet

  • Pew/Internet: Pew Internet & American Life Project -- analyzes the impact of the Internet on people in their daily, work and political life and the evolution of the Internet through data collection

  • Online Newspaper Sites -- Web sites for some local, state & national newspapers, providing access to current stories (some provide back-issue access)

  • Fast Facts -- a collection of links to sites with "fast facts" ("like those you find in an almanac or statistical abstract") on a broad range of topics

  • Portals to the World -- a collection of links, selected by Library of Congress staff, providing authoritative, in-depth information about the nations and other areas of the world

  • World-Newspapers.com -- access electronic newspapers and news sources from around the world by country or subject
     

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Academic Success

  • UW-Colleges Online Writing Lab (OWL) -- a service provided by UW-Waukesha which allows UW-Colleges students to submit essays via the Internet for feedback from a student writing tutor

  • Success in Mathematics -- useful tips on how to study mathematics, problem solving and more from St. Louis University Mathematics Department

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Geography

  • American Journeys: Eyewitness Accounts of Early American Exploration and Settlement -- 1,000+ pages of documents arising from the Lewis and Clark Expedition; this project will expand to include 150 eyewitness accounts of North American Exploration from 1492 thru 1844

  • Ancient World Mapping Center--information on cartography, historical geography and geographic information science

  • Background Notes -- produced by the U.S. State Department, these publications provide brief geographical, social, and historical information on countries of the world

  • Belgian-American Research Collection -- materials about the Walloon inhabitants of northeastern Wisconsin, including architectural survey images, oral history recordings and immigration histories

  • Environmental Sciences- - well-organized summary of environmental science Internet sites, provided by the University of California, Santa Barbara Library.

  • Geography of Transport Systems -- provides overview of transportation discipline, including planning, policy issues, statistics and case studies.

  • Historical Census Browser -- searchable database of US housing and population censuses from 1790-1969 from the Geostat Center at the University of Virginia Libraries' Electronic Centers. Data available at the state or county level, but not for cities

  • Library of Congress Country Studies -- a continuing series of books (available here online) about various countries of the world, prepared by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress

  • Map Collections: American Memory -- find detailed maps ranging from the Civil War to National Parks from the Library of Congress.

  • National Geographic's Map Machine Atlas -- includes maps, flags, and brief factual profiles of the countries of the world and the U.S. states

  • National Atlas of the United States of America -- this interactive website allows users to create maps including data about boundaries, climate, agricultural, biological and environmental factors, people, transportation, water, history, and geology

  • Population Reference Bureau -- gateway to data and reports on population trends.

  • Portals to the World -- a collection of links, selected by Library of Congress staff, providing authoritative, in-depth information about the nations and other areas of the world

  • 16th-20th Century Maps of Africa -- view historic maps from the Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies at Northwestern University.

  • Wisconsin Pioneer Experience -- a digital collection of diaries, letters, reminiscences, speeches and other writings of people who settled and built Wisconsin during the 19th century

  • The World Factbook -- includes maps, flags, and considerable overview information on the countries of the world

  • USGS Landslide Hazards Program -- The LHP's mission is to provide information to reduce losses from landslides and increase public safety through improved understanding of landslide hazards and strategies for hazard mitigation.

  • Zoom into Maps -- this Library of Congress site explores maps and how they are used, with sections for local geography, exploration and discovery, migration and settlement, environmental history, travel and transportation, military, pictorial, and unusual maps
     

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Engineering

  • Knovel Library * -- database containing over 800 books from 18 subject areas including chemistry, engineering, life sciences and materials.
     

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Chemistry

  • Chemicool Periodic Table -- includes extensive technical information on the elements and provides a link to related articles in Encyclopedia Britannica Online for each element

  • Elemental Data Index -- National Institute of Standards and Technology Physics Laboratory’s online data organized by chemical element

  • General Chemistry I Digital Lecture Material -- Dr. Matt Ott of Jackson Community College in Wyoming offers online lectures covering unit conversion, molecular formulae, balancing chemical equations, and ionic and covalent bonding. Lectures use either Flash or Google Video.

  • General Chemistry Online -- offers tutorials, guide to compounds, glossary, simulations, etc.

  • Knovel Library * -- database containing over 800 books from 18 subject areas including chemistry, engineering, life sciences and materials.

  • Knovel Critical Tables -- database containing the full text of some of the leading engineering reference handbooks, databases, and conference proceedings, including titles in chemistry

  • WebElements Periodic Table -- an award winning web site includes properties of the elements in the Periodic Table, photos, news and more
     

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Math

  • Success in Mathematics -- useful tips on how to study mathematics, problem solving and more from St. Louis University Mathematics Department

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Psychology and Psychiatry Resources

  • Psychology with Style: A Hypertext Writing Guide -- a guide to assist undergraduate students in writing research reports using the publication style of the American Psychological Association

  • Internet Mental Health -- includes information on psychiatric disorders & medications, an interactive diagnosis module, and numerous related bibliographic links

  • Mental Measurements Yearbook * -- contains fulltext reviews & information about English-language standardized tests covering educational skills, personality, vocational aptitude, psychology, & related areas
     

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Education

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Writing/Research

  • UW-Colleges Online Writing Lab (OWL) -- a service provided by UW-Waukesha which allows UW-Colleges students to submit essays via the Internet for feedback from a student writing tutor

  • Research 101 -- University of Washington librarians created interactive tutorials for students to learn about conducting research, developing research questions, evaluating sources and understanding how information is produced and distributed. Online worksheets are currently not accessible.

  • Guide to Library Research -- this guide from Duke University Libraries provides assistance with the research process, from choosing a topic to finding information, and includes a concise guide to citing sources using MLA & APA styles.

  • Plagiarism -- this guide by Sharon Stoerger is a directory of plagiarism, ethics, copyright, and intellectual freedom sites, etc., with sections for teachers, students, and examples and additional links.

  • Start Here Go Places: in Business and Accounting -- look here to learn more about careers in business and accounting (more focused on accounting) created by students and educators of The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

  • You Quote It, You Note It -- this interactive tutorial about plagiarism was created by librarians from Acadia University, Nova Scotia, Canada.
     

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Career Resources: Resume Writing and Occupations Information

  • Occupational Outlook Handbook -- a complete descriptive reference of occupations, including for each: nature of the work; working conditions; education & training required; advancement possibilities, earnings, and job outlook; and related occupations

  • WisCareers -- a special career service for UW students and professionals. Find information about occupations, schools, creating a budget and career assessment. Registration is required. Ask for the registration code from the Library or Student Services staff.

  • Guide to Finding Career Resources: General -- step by step tips on researching careers using UWS Library and Internet sources

  • Guide to Finding Career Resources: Business -- step by step tips on researching business careers using UWS Library and Internet sources

  • Job Search Preparation -- part of the UW-Milwaukee Career Development Center's web site; provides much information on resume & cover letter writing, interviewing techniques, and salary negotiation
     

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Laws and Legal Information

  • Federal Judicial Center -- The US Congress created FJC in 1967 to provide research and educational support for US Courts, including information on the US Supreme Court. A search engine offers access to documents, publications and videos. Historical information on US Courts is also included.

  • FindLaw -- a Web portal focused on law and government, providing access to supreme court cases and state and federal cases and codes

  • Wisconsin State Law Library web site -- provides a wealth of information related to legal research, including links to statutes, code, and court opinions, both state and federal

  • Wisconsin Statutes and Annotations -- text of newly enacted laws incorporated into existing statutes with searchable Folio InfoBase
     

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State and Federal Government Information

  • Wisconsin.gov -- the home page of the State of Wisconsin

  • Wisconsin Administrative Code and Register -- produced by the Wisconsin State Legislature Revisor of Statutes Bureau.

  • Wisconsin Legislature -- these pages provide directory information for state legislators and much, much more

  • State of Wisconsin Blue Book -- fully searchable digitized collection of the one volume primary reference source about the state published annually from 1879-1883 and biannually since 1885.

  • Wisconsin Department of Revenue: Forms -- income tax forms and other forms

  • USA.gov -- official portal to the U.S. Government's online information, services and resources.

  • Google US Government Search limits Google search results to US government web sites.

  • Congressional Directory -- is the official directory of the U.S. Congress and includes short biographies of each member of the House & Senate and related information.

  • Internal Revenue Service -- home page of the IRS, including links to federal income tax forms

  • Economic Report of the President --an overview of economic progress in the U.S. written annually by the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors

  • U.S. Government Manual --is the official manual of the Federal Government with information on all three branches of government.

  • THOMAS Legislative Information -- an extensive resource of federal legislative information; includes the text, summary and status of bills, and the text of the Congressional Record (a record of each day's congressional session)

  • The World Factbook -- includes maps, flags, and considerable overview information on the countries of the world; produced by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency
     

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College/University Web Sites

  • American Universities -- an extensive index of home pages of academic institutions in the United States; also contains links to indexes of international universities, Canadian universities, and community colleges
     

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Business

  • Business Plans and Profiles Index -- Subject guide to sample business plans and profiles for specific business types from the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

  • Finance resources on the Web- - directory of several areas of finance, such as Corporate and International Finance, Risk Management and Company, Fund and Investment Research.

  • Start Here Go Places: in Business and Accounting -- look here to learn more about careers in business and accounting (more focused on accounting) created by students and educators of The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
     

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Economics

  • Economic Indicators -- full-image access back to January 1998 of this publication of the U.S. Government Printing Office, providing national economic data

  • Bureau of Labor Statistics -- website of the principal fact-finding agency for the Federal Government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics

  • U.S. Department of Commerce -- home page including links to data and indicators of economic activity

  • Bureau of Economic Analysis -- U.S. Department of Commerce website whose mission is "providing the most timely, relevant, and accurate economic accounts data."

  • Office of Economic Advisors-- The WI Department of Workforce Development helps users understand economic and demographic data affect job growth in Wisconsin

  • PovertyNet -- sponsored by the World Bank, this site offers measurements, trends and strategies to reduce poverty

  • Economist Country Briefings -- relatively up-to-date profile on 60 major world countries, including gross domestic product data, policy issues, taxation and other information

  • Federal Reserve Board: Economic Research and Data -- includes statistical information maintained by the Federal Reserve

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Sociology

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Statistics

  • American FactFinder -- a searchable site providing population statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau

  • CensusScope -- data from the U.S. Census regarding such issues such racial diversity, population growth, and educational levels, produced by the Social Science Data Analysis Network at the University of Michigan. The site has information at the national, state, county, and metropolitan level.

  • County and City Data Books -- information from the 1944 through 2000 editions of this work, providing social and economic data on the cities, counties, and states of the U.S.

  • FedStats -- provides access to a wide variety of official statistics collected and published by more than 100 Federal agencies

  • Historical Census Browser -- this University of Virginia site provides U.S. Census data from 1790 to 1960; data are available about the people & economy of each state & county

  • National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) home page -- provides links to an abundance of data, statistics, and facts related to American education

  • Statistical Resources on the Web -- award winning list of statistical web sources arranged in 24 categories from the University of Michigan Library documents Center

  • United Nations Common Database -- provides statistics for all countries from 30 specialized international sources many of most of which are available from 1970 or 1980

  • Vital Statistics of the United States -- publication of the National Center for Health Statistics, consisting of detailed data on natality and mortality, marriage and divorce
     

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History

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Political Science

  • The American Presidency Project -- this is the place to go to access public presidential papers, state of the union addresses, and quick-time video clips of important presidential addresses, created by John Woolley, Gerhard Peters of Univ. of California at Santa Barbara.

  • Federal Judicial Center -- The US Congress created FJC in 1967 to provide research and educational support for US Courts, including information on the US Supreme Court. A search engine offers access to documents, publications and videos. Historical information on US Courts is also included.

  • A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns, 1787-1825 -- search for information by state, election year, office, person and party affiliation. Philip Lampi of the American Antiquarian Society collected the data and Tufts University hosts the web site.

  • Opensecrets.org -- site of the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks money in politics, and its effect on elections and public policy.
     

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Philosophy & Religion

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Science/Health/Technology

  • Eric Weisstein’s World of Science --encyclopedias of astronomy, scientific biography, chemistry and physics

  • Health, United States -- annual report on national trends in health statistics compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics.

  • Knovel Library * -- database containing over 800 books from 18 subject areas including chemistry, engineering, life sciences and materials.
     

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Physics

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Earth Science

 

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Biology

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English/Literature

  • American Verse Project -- project of the University of Michigan, providing an electronic archive of volumes of American poetry prior to 1920

  • Bartleby.com -- this site houses many online books (fiction & non-fiction) and reference sources, such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, quotation dictionaries, thesauri and biographies

  • Beloit Poetry Journal --

  • Black Drama - 1850 to Present * -- a collection of over 900 plays by 171 playwrights, together with detailed information on related productions, theaters, production companies, and more

  • Columbia Granger's Poetry Database * -- considered the definitive index in English for locating poems in anthologies, this online version also includes the full-text of nearly 50,000 poems, author biographies, and more

  • Contemporary Authors * -- contains biographical and bibliographical information on over 90,000 current worldwide authors of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, journalism, drama, motion pictures, and television

  • North American Women's Letters and Diaries: Colonial to 1950 * -- a collection of diaries and correspondence of over 600 North American women

  • Scottish Women Poets of the Romantic Period * -- a collection of over 60 volumes of poetry from 47 authors

  • The Oxford Shakespeare -- online version of the 1914 Oxford edition of the Complete Works of William Shakespeare; includes 37 plays, 154 sonnets & miscellaneous verse

  • Wright American Fiction, 1851-1875 -- an electronic collection of 19th century American fiction, consisting of over 1700 texts
     

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Mythology

  • The Encyclopedia Mythica -- an encyclopedia on mythology, folklore, and legend

  • Greek Mythology Link - based on his book Genealogical Guide to Mythology (1993), Carlos Parada provides lists, maps, drawings, photos and summaries.
     

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Art/Images

  • Grove Art * -- scholarly resource containing over 45,000 articles on "all aspects of the visual arts worldwide from prehistory to the present day"

  • ARTstor * -- over 300,000 digital images which documents artistic traditions across many times and cultures including architecture, painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts, design and many other forms of visual culture

  • InSitu -- Visual Resources from the Art History Department at UW Madison: "Users in the University of Wisconsin System have access to material that is not specifically restricted to the Madison campus."

  • Art Images for College Teaching (AICT) -- free access to images of important art and architecture (Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance & Baroque, 18th-20th Century and Non-Western) photographed by Allan Kohl, art historian

  • NYPL Picture Collection Online -- 30,000 digitized images from the library's books, magazines and newspapers, photographs and postcards mostly created before 1923

  • Picture History -- images and film footage of more than 200 years of history

  • H.H. Bennett-Photographer Extraordinaire -- Wisconsin State Historical Society offers 650 of Bennett’s photographs of life and landscapes in the late 1800’s.
     

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Music

  • Grove Music * -- a comprehensive encyclopedia of music, consisting of articles from The New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians, 2nd ed., The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, & The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd ed.

  • All Music Guide -- an online version of the well-respected print All Music Guide encyclopedia. In addition to signed articles, comprehensive discographies, and a glossary, it has many ways to search and a good search engine

  • Down Beat.com -- information about jazz music, musicians, CD reviews and access to articles in the Down Beat Magazine archive.

  • Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum -- this web site includes a biography and chronology for every artist/group in the Hall of Fame, with a discography and list of recommended reading for some
     

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Theatre

  • American Variety Stage -- This Library of Congress American Memory collection is a multimedia anthology of Vaudeville and Popular Entertainment from 1870-1920. It includes motion pictures, play scripts, sound recordings, playbills and programs and a Houdini section.

  • Black Drama - 1850 to Present * -- a collection of over 900 plays by 171 playwrights, together with detailed information on related productions, theaters, production companies, and more

  • Costumer's Manifesto 800 pages of costume and fashion information

  • IBDB: Internet Broadway Database -- the official database for Broadway theatre information, with records of productions from the beginnings of New York theatre until today

  • The Oxford Shakespeare -- online version of the 1914 Oxford edition of the Complete Works of William Shakespeare; includes 37 plays, 154 sonnets & miscellaneous verse
     

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Films

  • The Internet Movie Database -- an extensive database of information on movies and TV series

  • Encyclopedia of Television -- commissioned by the Museum of Broadcast Communications, the Encyclopedia contains 1,000 essays dealing with television programs, people, & topics drawn primarily from the U.S., Britain, Canada, & Australia

 

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Women's Studies

  • American Women’s History: A Research Guide -- print and Internet reference citations and primary source collections about women’s roles in U.S. History

  • British and Irish Women's Letters and Diaries * -- over 24,000 pages of diaries and letters from 91 women, biographies and annotated bibliography of sources

  • GenderStats via World Bank Group -- statistical and other data on subjects ranging from health and education to political participation and poverty, including national statistics, United Nations databases, and World Bank-conducted or funded surveys

  • GenderWatch * -- full text database back to 1970 focusing on how gender impacts a broad spectrum of subject areas; publications include scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, government and special reports

  • Gerritsen Collection: Women's History Online, 1543-1945 * -- books and periodicals reflecting the evolution of a feminist consciousness and women's rights over four centuries and fifteen languages

  • North American Women's Letters and Diaries, Colonial to 1950 * --approximately 82,000 pages of women's diaries and letters, biographies and an annotated bibliography

  • Violence Against Women -- facts, guides, data and resources relating to a spectrum of issues including partner violence, date violence and a bullying guide for parents,  plus legislation, state

  • Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000 * -- seeks to advance scholarly debates and understanding and offering the insights of women's history to teachers and students

  • Women’s Studies Librarian -- A good starting point for research in the field of women’s studies.  It provides search strategies, links to organizations, magazines, books and videos resources, prevention and more from the National Women's Health Information Center

 

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Dictionaries/Encyclopedias [NOTE: for some of the subjects below, the library's print dictionaries may contain more terms]

  • Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary * -- included with Encyclopedia Britannica Online; enter your search in the "Collegiate Dictionary" box

  • The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition

  • Bartleby.com -- this site houses many online reference sources, such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, quotation dictionaries, thesauri and biographies.

  • Oxford English Dictionary * -- click on "Enter OED Online" to search this highly-respected guide to the meaning, history, usage, and pronunciation of over half a million words, both present and past

  • Accounting Terminology Guide -- source for definitions of terms related to accounting, auditing, taxation, finance and business laws.

  • Business -- WashingtonPost.com Business Glossary

  • Computer Science/Technology -- TechWeb Technology Encyclopedia

  • Medicine -- MedicineNet: includes a dictionary of diseases & treatments, a pharmaceutical dictionary of prescription & over-the-counter drugs, and a general medical dictionary with brief definitions

  • The Word Spy -- Definitions for new words and phrases that have appeared multiple times in newspapers, magazines, books and other sources
     

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