Activity: Scholarly Encyclopedias

Overview

• Find quick background information on a topic, event, organization, or individual.
• Identify potential search terms (people, dates, events, etc.) to use when seeking additional sources.
• Get a jump start on your research — most encyclopedia entries include a brief bibliography listing major books (and sometimes articles) on a topic.
• Identify major theories attached to a topic, event, organization, or individual.

Activity: Locating Encyclopedias

• Start on the UW Libraries home page.
• Click on Start Your Research to open the drop-down menu and choose Encyclopedias and Dictionaries.

• The Encyclopedias & Dictionaries page links to major collections of online encyclopedias. Three good collections to start with are:
  •  Gale Ebooks – a collection of encyclopedias on all subjects
  • Oxford Research Encyclopedias  – in-depth encyclopedias covering 12 subjects
  • Sage Research Methods – encyclopedias, case studies & more
• You can also search for encyclopedias in UW Libraries Search by entering search terms and the word “encyclopedias.” You may want to limit your search for encyclopedias to those available at the UW Libraries by changing “Articles, Books, and More” to “UW Libraries.”

• Many research guides also include a section on encyclopedias and other background sources. For example:
  • African American History
  • Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies
  • Linguistics

Bonus Tip

• Find and skim encyclopedia entries related to your research interest to see what kind of information is available.
• Remember, if you are having trouble with any of the activities, you can ask UW Libraries staff members for assistance over on Slack!