Credo Reference
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Credo Reference is a database made up of over 1000 encyclopedias and dictionaries. It is a good place to find background information on your topic(s) before you start your research.
You can access Credo Reference through Databases A-Z on the GovState Library website.
When you select Credo Reference from the list of databases, you’ll be taken to the home page.
There are a few things you can do from the home page.
- Start searching using either the quick (basic) search or the advanced search.
- Search through the subjects listed on the home page and browse whichever is relevant or interesting.
- Click on the three stacked lines icon in the upper left corner to open a navigation menu.
On the navigation menu, you’ll see two options that can be used to browse/search and an option to open the mind map (see Mind Map for more info).
The first option in the menu is “Topics” which will allow you to search and filter entries by topic.
On the “Topics” page, you can use the search bar and filters to narrow results and find a specific topic, or you can search the topics alphabetically.
The second option in the menu is “Titles” which allows you to browse the titles of the source books. These titles are NOT for the entries themselves but from the sources that provide the entries.
You can filter the titles using the filter options in the right sidebar.
The third option on the menu is the “Mind Map” which allows you to explore and discover connections between topics and key terms.
You can use the search bar to find terms to add to your mind map.
Once you’ve added a term to your map, you can explore related articles listed in the column on the right or click on the other terms in the mind map to view the article about that term.
No matter where you are in the database, you’ll be able to access both the quick search and advanced search.
To initiate a quick search, enter your search terms into the search bar and click the magnifying glass icon.
If you want to initiate an advanced search, click on “Advanced Search” to the right of the search bar.
Clicking “Advanced Search” will open the “Advanced Search” page. In advanced search you can more easily use search operators (see Search Operators) and use the various narrowing options to focus your results.
Once you have your search results you can browse the entries or further filter your results.
At the top of the search results there are options that will let you switch between resource types and view more resources available through the GovState Library.
Under every article entry, you’ll find the tags that are associated with that entry. You can use those tags to improve your search terms or click on them to see other articles associated with that tag.
Once you’ve found an article you want to read, click on the title of the article to open it.
Most entries are formatted similarly to the example below.
- Directly under the title there is a link to source for the entry.
- Beneath the source link there is a task bar which will allow you to save, cite, and share the entry among other things.
- Beneath the task bar is the body of the entry.
- To the right of the entry is a sidebar where you can find and explore related topics.
If you click on one of the entries in the “Related Searches” sidebar, it will bring you a screen that resembles the search results. Here you can switch between source types and use the filters on the right to broaden and narrow the results.
Some entries will be for core topics – core meaning the broadest and most general topic in a category – and the entries for core topics look slightly different.
Like most entries, the source link is listed under the title but there isn’t a task bar.
Underneath the topic summary is a list of articles and the options to switch between resource types. To the summary's right is a mind map to explore related concepts.
To access the full entry for a core topic, click on “Read More” at the end of the summary.
In the full entry, you’ll find the source link, task bar, and “Related Searches” sidebar in the same places as in non-core entries.
