Research Guides: Graphic Novels and Comic Books: Get Background Info

Why Use Reference Works?

Young woman sitting at the library using books and laptop Reference works -- like encyclopedias, handbooks, and dictionaries -- provide great overviews and background information.

They help you contextualize your topic and generate questions.
They help identify keywords you can use later when searching for scholarly sources.
They contain bibliographies that lead you to the most respected secondary and most useful primary sources on a topic.

In short, reference works are a great way to begin your research.

Encyclopedias & Dictionaries

Need to look up a name, place, term, or event? The sources below contain many different kinds of encyclopedias and dictionaries and are excellent starting points.

Comiclopedia
An illustrated compendium of tens of thousands of comic artists from around the world. Find your favorite artists, strips and characters.

Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Concurrent user limit: unlimited
Credo Reference provides access to a large number of encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri and other reference books. Subjects covered include art, biography, history, literature, music, religion, and science and technology.
Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window
Concurrent user limit: 12 users on the platform
Oxford Reference Online includes subject and language reference sources from Oxford University Press, including many titles from the Oxford Companions Series. Browse or search single titles, specific subject areas, or the entire collection.
Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Concurrent user limit: unlimited
Gale eBooks (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library [GVRL]) is a database of encyclopedias and reference sources for multidisciplinary research. Because each library creates its own eBook collection, the content you see may vary if the database is accessed from different libraries.

Introductory Essays & Topic Overviews

Need some context? These are detailed guides to authors, composers, philosophers, genres, various literatures and other fields of study, providing context and analysis for a thorough introduction.

Cambridge Companions [via Cambridge Collections Online] This link opens in a new window
Contains many introductory essays on major writers, artists, topics, and periods.
Cambridge Histories Online This link opens in a new window
Contains introductory essays on world history, plus histories of cultural fields like literature, music and theatre, and even science.
Oxford Handbooks Online This link opens in a new window
Contains in-depth, topical introductions and reviews of the key issues and major scholarly debates across many different subject areas.
Very Short Introductions This link opens in a new window
Provide concise introductions to a diverse range of subjects, written by experts in the field who combine facts, analysis, and new ideas to make challenging topics highly readable.