Challenge Library Guide: Background Information
Online Subject Encyclopedias
Scholarly subject encyclopedias provide background information about specific topics. Entries or articles, written by scholars or subject experts, include bibliographies or suggested readings that will lead to more information on your topic.
You can use subject encyclopedias to identify keywords for your research in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences.
Background Information Video
This three-minute video shows how to find background information
Selected Online Scholarly Encyclopedias - History
-
Cambridge Histories Online This link opens in a new windowProvides the Cambridge Histories series online that covers ancient to modern history.
-
Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new windowContains full text subject encyclopedias, reference works, dictionaries, and handbooks in all disciplines.
-
Sage eReference This link opens in a new windowContains full text encyclopedias and reference books in the social sciences and humanities. Search by keyword or browse by topic.
CQ Researcher (CQ = Congressional Quarterly)
-
CQ Researcher This link opens in a new windowOffers reports on key issues in the U.S.Congress from 1923 to the present. Includes a searchable archive by keyword, date, or subject.
Background Information about Countries
-
A guide to countries of the world by
Publication Date: 2016 -
International Encyclopedia of Geography by
Publication Date: 2017
-
Europa World and/or the Regional Surveys of the World This link opens in a new windowCovers political and economic information about countries and territories, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.
Search for Subject Encyclopedias (PSU Only)
Very Short Introductions - Oxford University Press
-
Very Short Introductions This link opens in a new windowProvides concise introductions on a diverse range of topics in the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences.
Selected Online Scholarly Encyclopedias
-
Encyclopedia of race, ethnicity, and society by
Publication Date: 2008 -
International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences by
Publication Date: 2015 -
Routledge encyclopedia of philosophy by
Publication Date: 2001 - present -
The Sage encyclopedia of political behavior by
Publication Date: 2017