Tips
Encyclopedias are great for:
- choosing a topic
- quick self-education
- perspective on a topic
- variant spellings, vocabulary, terminology
- bibliography
State Encyclopedias
All states have an encyclopedia of the state. The entries are often detailed and well-researched and can provide you with more secondary and primary sources.
Check the Cornell library catalog first with this search-- [name of state] encyclopedia as subject.
Example: The Encyclopedia of New York State
Sometimes the state encyclopedia is freely available on the web. Google-- [name of state] state encyclopedia.
Example: Encyclopedia of Virginia
Oxford Reference
- Oxford Bibliographies Online (OBO)Annotated bibliographies of primary and secondary sources written by top scholars in the field.
- Oxford Research Encyclopedias (OREs)Extremely high quality set of online encyclopedias covering all disciplines, time periods, global in coverage.
- Oxford Very Short Introductions Online100 page introductions (with blbliography) on topics in Arts, Humanities, Medicine, Health, Sciences, Mathematics, Social sciences, and Law.
- Oxford Handbooks Online: Scholarly Research ReviewsThe complete texts of the Oxford handbooks in Archaeology, Business and Management, Classical Studies, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Economics and Finance, History, Law, Linguistics, Literature, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, and Religion online.
Cambridge Histories Online & Cambridge Companions
- Cambridge Histories OnlineExcellent resource. Full text. Chapters as pdfs. Extremely high quality essays with rich footnotes and bibliography
- Cambridge Companions OnlineCompanions are highly recommended.
American History Encyclopedias
- Oxford Research Encyclopedias: American HistoryHighly recommended. Excellent articles. Updated frequently.
- The Oxford Companion to United States historyAlso in print, (Olin Reference E174 .O94 2001 +).
- Dictionary of American historyA classic ten volume encyclopedia. Also in print (Olin Reference E174 .D52x 2003 +)
- Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and HistoryCall Number: Olin and Africana Reference E 185 E54 19965 volumes
Encyclopedia of African American history 1619-1895Publication Date: 2006- Encyclopedia of the United States in the Nineteenth CenturyCall Number: Olin Reference E169.1 .E626x 20013 volumes
- Encyclopedia of American Cultural & Intellectual HistoryCall Number: Olin Reference E169.1 .E624x 2001
- Encyclopedia of American Social HistoryCall Number: Olin Reference HN 57 .E56 19923 volumes
- Encyclopedia of American Political HistoryCall Number: Olin Stacks and Reference E 183 .E563 volumes
St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture by Call Number: Olin Library Reference, E169.1 .S764 2013 +Publication Date: 2013In print and online.
Biography
- American National Biography.also available in print, (Olin Reference CT213 .A68x 1999 +). Offers portraits of more than 17,400 men and women, from all eras and walks of life, whose lives have shaped the nation. Features thousands of illustrations, hyperlinked cross-references and links to select web sites.
