Background information
Reference works such as encyclopedias, research guides, and bibliographies are an excellent way to find background information and to get an overview of the current scholarship about a topic. (Because of this, they can also help you identify dominant historical narratives.) Thematic collections of current scholarship, sometimes called "handbooks," can also be very helpful when you are familiarizing yourself with a topic.
You are consutling a reference work every time your Google search takes you to a Wikipedia article. Wikipedia is an online, crowdsourced encyclopedia. If you use an AI-enhanced search tool, it is probably drawing on Wikipedia and free versions of Encyclopedia Britannica for much of its information.
Try these reference works available through the Library for more in-depth coverage of topics related to this course (consult our guide to reference works for more suggestions):
- History, Philosophy, and Newspaper Library Online Reference CollectionThis guide contains links to online reference resources and suggestions on where to begin your research on history, philosophy, and newspapers.
- Oxford Reference This link opens in a new windowOxford Reference Online Premium Collection brings together nearly 200 language and subject reference works in a single cross-searchable resource. Works in the collection include an expanding range of key titles in the acclaimed Oxford Companions series, the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, many English-language and bilingual dictionaries, as well as subject encyclopedias and dictionaries in a wide range of subject areas including: Art & Architecture, Biological Sciences, Classics, Computing, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Economics & Business, Food & Drink, History, Law, Literature, Maps, Medicine, Military History, Mythology & Folklore, Names & Places, Performing Arts, Physical Sciences & Mathematics, Politics & Social Sciences, Quotations, Religion & Philosophy, Science.
The Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages by Publication Date: 2010Online edition of a 4 volume set (in-depth articles with bibliographies).
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowProvides access to a collection of aggregated and integrated reference books from high-quality publishers.
Historiography
- History CompassCall Number: 900 ONLINEPublication Date: 2010-Online journal dedicated to historiographical essays on a wide range of topics.
- Oxford Bibliographies Online This link opens in a new windowOffers peer-reviewed annotated bibliographies on specific topics in a growing range of subject areas. There are at least 50 specific topical bibliographies in each subject area. Each of these features an introduction to the topic. Bibliographies are browseable by subject area and keyword searchable. Contains a My OBO function that allows users to create personalized bibliographies of individual citations from different bibliographies.
Oxford Bibliography of Medieval Studies by Publication Date: 2010
Oxford Bibliography of Military History by Publication Date: 2012
- Oxford Handbooks Online This link opens in a new windowA collection of Handbooks on a wide range of subjects (often newer topics without a deep historiographic background). For an overview of recent scholarly trends, the introductory chapters can be especially helpful.
The Oxford Handbook of Entertainment Theory by Publication Date: 2021The Oxford Handbook of Entertainment Theory surveys and furthers the most influential psychology-driven research on media entertainment to illuminate how people are drawn into media experiences.
The Oxford Handbook of Victorian Medievalism by Publication Date: 2020Useful historical background for post-medieval uses of the medieval in the English-speaking world.
The Oxford Handbook of Virtuality by Publication Date: 2015Almost 50 essays ranging freely across subjects that include the potential of virtuality, ethics, virtuality and self, presence and immersion, virtual emotions, image, sound and literature, computer games, AI and A-Life, Augmented Reality and Real Virtuality, law and economics, medical and military applications, religion, and cybersex.
The Oxford Handbook of Women and Gender in Medieval Europe by Publication Date: 2013The collection focuses on Western Europe in the Middle Ages but offers some consideration of medieval Islam and Byzantium, opening these fields for further research.The Handbook is structured into seven sections: Christian, Jewish, and Muslim thought; law in theory and practice; domestic life and material culture; labour, land, and economy; bodies and sexualities; gender and holiness; and the interplay of continuity and change throughout the medieval period.
