All good research begins with background reading. For this assignment, students should read historical overviews in reference resources before doing more in-depth research. Reading historical overviews allow students to collect key terminology on a topic; understand if the topic is too broad or narrow; and find seminal sources and historiography.
The Reference tab is divided into three areas:
Encyclopedias —Although they cover a wide range of topics, general encyclopedias do not provide an in-depth treatment of the subject matter. Most encyclopedia articles are written by scholars and include bibliographies.
Subject Specific Encyclopedias—Cover particular disciplines or topics, such as history or literature. These resources usually provide more information about a topic than general encyclopedias would. Articles are written by scholars and include bibliographies.
Reference Databases—This collection of electronic reference sources contains both general and subject-specific encyclopedias.
