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Why?
Always, always, always begin your research by getting an overview. Do this for the same reason everyone loves Wikipedia. The reference/encyclopedia pictured here (click on it!) as well as the other resources on this page will:
- give you an overview of your topic
- introduce key ideas and terminology relevant to your topic
- suggest some important books, articles, and more
- tell you WHO are the most important researchers in this area
- help you narrow/focus your research topic/question
There are specialized encyclopedias and reference works available for all different time periods and areas of the world!
Find a GREAT encyclopedia article!
- Gale eBooks This link opens in a new windowProvides the full text of over 200 subject encyclopedias, handbooks, dictionaries, and directories.
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowAllows you to search for articles from over 600 different electronic reference books and also works as a gateway to a very wide array of other information sources, including images, audio and video. It is a really excellent place to begin research with 'Topic Pages' offering authoritative overviews and a Mind Map feature to assist in narrowing and focusing research and identifying keywords for database searching.
- Oxford Reference This link opens in a new windowA collection containing over 120 dictionaries and reference titles covering a broad spectrum of subjects from general reference and language to science and medicine, and from humanities and social sciences to business and professional.
I'm betting you've used Wikipedia before when exploring a topic for research. Well, subject encyclopedias are like wikipedia but you know who is providing the information in them! They are great places to get an authoritative overview of your topic. They will give you the BIG PICTURE, some HISTORY and BACKGROUND. They will also give you some LANGUAGE and may lead you to some additional resources. The three main databases for encyclopedia articles are linked above.
They don't quite work like wikipedia, so take a moment read the tips below for using them.
When you find an article you want, you can get a properly-formatted (the database will help you with this!) citation along with a stable URL or Permalink for it right there. For Credo & Gale eBooks, you will find both at the end of the article. In Oxford you can block-copy the URL for the link and get a formatted citation by clicking on the teeny pencil in the upper right of the fulltext display.
Credo works a lot like Google/Wikipedia for searching. Gale eBooks & Oxford Reference, however, require a little more thoughtful searching, so I have included some tips, for both. You would be wise to read those tips carefully.
Gale eBooks Tips:
Start searching with a simple word or phrase in the box labeled Document Title.
If the results appear terribly irrelevant or odd, try one/more of the following:
- use the Document Type Limit to select Topic Overview.
- scroll through your results, though, keeping in mind that I have found the order to be far from "most relevant first!"
- try different words/phrases in your search.
If you don't get anything good, try putting words/phrases in the search box labeled Keyword. If those results appear terribly irrelevant or odd, try one/more of the following:
- use the Document Type Limit to select Topic Overview.
- scroll through your results, though, keeping in mind that I have found the order to be far from "most relevant first!"
- try different words/phrases in your search.
Oxford Reference Online is tricky. Start by entering basic words or phrases in the search box in the upper right. Once you get results, don't even look at them! Immediately use the Narrow Your Choices REFINE TERMS (blue column to the left of results) pulldown to select Entry Title: 
& click Update. Additionally, you can eliminate the many short dictionary entries by using the Reference library limit at the bottom of that same blue column. Keep in mind, that we do not have everything in this database. However, those items with the red lock on them might be available to you in book/print form, just not online. You can check them in OSCAR.
Especially Delightful Print Reference Books
It may be hard to believe, but not everything is digitized. Also, it can sometimes be easier to use print tools like those listed below. And, these sets of books can be browsed to get ideas for topics or for narrowing research topics. Take a look! They are all located in the corner of the basement near the small study rooms. They are on movable shelves.
Great Events from History, North American Series by ISBN: 089356429XPublication Date: 1997v. 1. 15,000 B.C.-1819 -- v. 2. 1820-1895 -- v. 3. 1895-1955 -- v. 4. 1956-1996.
each article begins with ready-reference information, including year, location, categories (for example, Canadian history, exploration and discovery), and principal personages. This is followed by a summary of the event, a brief annotated list of suggested readings, and see also references. An added feature of this edition is a brief descriptive phrase appended to the title of the event, which reflects the significance of the event as it relates to North American history; for example: "Africans Arrive in Virginia: the beginnings of slavery in the British colonies." While many resources exist on these events, the vocabulary, simple explanation of events in chronological order, and the way this set shows interrelationships between people and events make it a useful tool for providing college undergraduates with the necessary background information to begin research.
American Era's by ISBN: 0787614777Publication Date: 1997This set is part of Gale e-Books, so you can search/browse it online there, too. However, it is really great to browse in person as well, if you are searching for a research topic!
[1] Early American civilizations and exploration to 1600 / edited by Gretchen D. Starr-LeBeau -- [2] The Colonial era, 1600-1754 / edited by Jessica Kross -- [3] The Revolutionary era, 1754-1783 / edited by Robert J. Allison -- [4] Development of a nation, 1783-1815 / edited by Robert J. Allison -- [5] The reform era and eastern U.S. development, 1815-1850 / edited by Gerald J. Prokopowicz -- [6] Civil War and Reconstruction, 1850-1877 / edited by Thomas J. Brown -- [7] Development of the industrial United States, 1878-1899 / edited by Vincent Tompkins --[8] Westward expansion, 1800-1860 / edited by Peter C. Mancall.
