Background Sources: Encyclopedias
Reference tools can help you at every stage of your research. Use them to get an overview of central issues, better understand the context your are researching, and to gather more in-depth information. Good starting points include: Biographies, Book, Film and Theatre Reviews, Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, Statistics and Data Sets.
- New Dictionary of the History of IdeasSurveys the history of Western thought and culture. Explores the origin, cultural interpretations, and historical themes of such subjects as beauty, love, feminism, diversity, and social capital.
Extent: Multidisciplinary - Encyclopedia of ChicagoPhotographs, biographies, essays, art, music, maps and documents on all things Chicago.
Access note: Freely available to the public. - Credo Reference: HistoryA collection of encyclopedias and dictionaries covering modern and ancient world histories.
- Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new windowDetailed etymologies of words comprising the English language. This online version of the venerable OED is a work in progress; hundreds of new entries are added yearly.
- Oxford Encyclopedia of Economic HistoryArticles by noted scholars ranging from 500-word entries on inventors, theoreticians, and industry leaders to 8,000-word essays on markets, industries, and labor.
- SAGE Knowledge This link opens in a new window
Cross-searchable collection of more than 100 encyclopedias and handbooks from SAGE.
- EBooks (Gale) This link opens in a new window
Cross-searchable collection of over two thousand reference titles from Gale. Previously known as Gale Virtual Reference Library.
