Scientific studies of drought that use objective and standardized methods, language, and measures have been identified by selective review of the larger body of drought literature. Over 1200 articles and reports were found to contain useful information concerning drought indices, aspects, and indicators.
Selected references included here are arranged into groups describing similar topics. Choose a group name in order to display a bibliography of references on that topic.
| Group | Description |
| Alberta | Literature written or published in Alberta |
| Canadian theses | Literature describing thesis research in Canada on drought |
| Decision supports | Literature describing the tools and systems available to help in deciding when and how degrees or levels of drought are declared in various jurisdictions |
| Drought Indices |  |
| Deciles | Literature describing the use of rainfall deciles as an indicator of drought |
| Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) & Remote sensing | Literature describing techniques of remote sensing and the use of satellite imagery to study and depict drought. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, or NDVI, is one measure of vegetation condition and monitoring for drought severity |
| Palmer Drought Index (PDI, PDSI, PHDI), and Enhancements) | Literature describing the suite of indices for measuring drought that are collectively known as "PDI"; including the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI), Palmer Hydrologic Drought Index (PHDI), and modifications made more recently to account for and include factors such as soil moisture conditions, snowmelt, runoff and river basin drainage |
| Rainfall Anomaly Indices (RAI) | Literature describing rainfall anomalies and the impact of extreme precipitation events |
| Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) | Literature describing the Standardized Precipitation Index, or SPI |
| Surface Water Supply Index (SWSI) | Literature describing the Surface Water Supply Index, which accounts for snowpack and snowmelt runoff, as well as for precipitation, streamflow, and reservoir storage as drought factors |
| Versatile Soil Moisture Budget (VSMB) | Literature describing simulation and water-modelling studies using the Versatile Soil Moisture Budget model |
| Drought planning / Action plans | Literature on the risks of drought, studies emphasizing management practices, and plans for taking action against impacts of drought |
| General Resources | Literature dealing with general information about drought |
| History of Drought on the Prairies | Literature describing historical droughts, primarily in Alberta and Saskatchewan |
| International Sources | Literature describing the scientific study of drought elsewhere in the world of relevance for Alberta |
| Proxy data studies. | Literature describing studies that have used proxy data in place of real-time measures to investigate long-term and re-occurring drought over the centuries |
| Web sites of interest | Links to important web sites dealing with drought reporting |