Encyclopedias, dictionaries and handbooks are excellent sources for background material on language, historical and political events, literary authors and works, film, society and culture.

Use them to

• check out something your lecturer said
• provide a translation of a specific word or phrase
• define terminology related to the study of French
• compile a list of search terms for further research
• find brief, factual information to supplement your research
• build up a context for the topic, and suggest ideas to explore