University Studies: Background Information

PSU 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

Very Short Introductions - Oxford University Press

Very Short Introductions
Provides concise introductions on a diverse range of topics in the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences.

CQ Researcher (CQ = Congressional Quarterly)

CQ Researcher
Offers 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 Christopher Riches
Publication Date: 2016
International Encyclopedia of Geography by Douglas Richardson (Editor-In-Chief); Noel Castree (Editor); Michael F. Goodchild (Editor); Audrey Kobayashi (Editor); Weidong Liu (Editor); Richard A. Marston (Editor)
Publication Date: 2017

Europa World and/or the Regional Surveys of the World
Covers political and economic information about countries and territories, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.

Search for Subject Encyclopedias (PSU Only)

Selected Online Scholarly Encyclopedias

Encyclopedia of race, ethnicity, and society by Richard T. Schaefer (Editor)
Publication Date: 2008
International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences by James D. Wright (Editor-In-Chief)
Publication Date: 2015
Routledge encyclopedia of philosophy by Edward Craig (Editor)
Publication Date: 2001 - present
The Sage encyclopedia of political behavior by Fathali M. Moghaddam, editor
Publication Date: 2017