If you are unfamiliar with the terminology associated with your research topic, consult a subject dictionary. Subject dictionaries provide definitions or short explanations of the terms and concepts used in a specific discipline or field.

For example, when looking at an encyclopedia entry on space stations, you might encounter unfamiliar terms such as "geosynchronous." Use a subject dictionary to find definitions for such terms and to identify related terms.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms

In this example, you must look up the related term in order to find the following definition:

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms