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Shakespeare in Movies: ENG 0822, ENG 0922

Research help for the course, "Shakespeare in Movies."

Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, & Handbooks

student sitting in front of laptop, looking at an open book

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. 

Author Biographies & Biographical Overviews

silhouette of four individualsBiographies 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.

Introductory Essays & Topic Overviews

individual reading a bookNeed 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.