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Exercise Science: Explore Topics

Starting point for research in exercise science, physical education, and coaching.

Find Background Information

Good places to find background information:
  • Your textbook or class readings
  • Encyclopedias, handbooks, & other reference materials
  • Credible websites
  • And of course ...

Exercise Science Reference Sources

Are there books on your topic?

When a reference tool is too broad, it can be useful to seek out a book.

Important Considerations
  • Is there a specific area within the broader topic that you're curious about or even irked by?
  • Is there a cause-effect relationship that you're curious about?
  • Look for unanswered questions.
  • Are there time periods or groups of people within the discipline that strike a chord for you?
  • If you think you've got a topic worth writing about, try to explain it informally to a friend. Are there gaps in what you know? Did any questions come up?

Exercise Science Book Databases

More Reference Databases

Handbooks, Encyclopedias, & Dictionaries

Designing Science Presentations

Guides researchers and graduate students of virtually any discipline in the creation of compelling science communication

Key Concepts in Sport and Exercise Sciences

Provides students and scholars with a fail-safe guide to the key concepts in the field

Food and Fitness

Authoritative information on diet, activities, exercises, physiology, and training methods.

Gale Encyclopedia of Fitness

Covers 300 topics on physiology and fitness as well as topics on diseases and conditions related to fitness.

Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science and Medicine

A useful guide for medical specialists, students of PE, coaches, and athletes, as well as those interested in health and fitness

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Built around the six core competencies for physicians practicing rehabilitation medicine as required by the ACGME

Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine

The most comprehensive and accessible information available on sports medicine

The Female Athlete

Covers the science, medicine and psycho-social aspects of females in sports at all levels of competition.

Strength and Power in Sport

Examines the basic and applied aspects of strength and power from neurophysiology of the basic motor unit to training