Research Guides: Advanced Shakespeare: ENG 3221: Get Background Info

Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, & Handbooks

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.

Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window
Consists of a collection of core reference materials across numerous subject areas published by Oxford University Press.
Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
The OED is the guide to the meaning, history, pronunciation, and variant spellings of words, both present and past.

Author Biographies & Biographical Overviews

Biographies and autobiographies provide insights into individuals' lives and achievements. Biographies come in all shapes and sizes: some offer just factual information (full name, birth and death dates, place of birth, career history, etc.) while others provide more in-depth essays as well as references for further reading.

The sources below contain brief biographies or biographical overviews on individuals. Many also point to other resources about an individual, including related news stories, book-length biographies, and/or author interviews.

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography This link opens in a new window
Contains biographies of the men and women who shaped all aspects of Britain's past, from the fourth century BC to the 21st century.

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 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.
Cambridge Companions [via Cambridge Collections Online] This link opens in a new window
Contains many introductory essays on major writers, artists, topics, and periods.
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
Very Short Introductions (VSI) offers concise introductions to a diverse range of subjects, written by experts in the field who combine facts, analysis, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make challenging topics highly readable.