Getting Started
If you are unfamiliar with your subject area, it will be very helpful to begin with a source that summarizes the main events or circumstances and also describes the historical context. This strategy also helps you verify that at least some research has already been done on your topic
Examples of sources that provide broad overviews:
- Encyclopedias and especially subject encyclopedias (e.g., the four-volume Encyclopedia of the Victorian Era)
- Published bibliographies
- Chronologies
- Authoritative web sites
- General histories (e.g. The Oxford History of the United States)
Credits: This info box was adapted from Mary Stuart for the University Library of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ©2008 Mary Stuart. For more, see this History LibGuide
Reference Books
The Encyclopedia of Women's History in America by Call Number: HQ1410 .C85 2000 Reference CollectionPublication Date: 2000-07-01
American women speak: an encyclopedia and document collection of women's oratory by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9781440837845Publication Date: 2016-10-24
The Women's Movement Today: an encyclopedia of third-wave feminism by Call Number: HQ1115 .W644 2006 Reference CollectionPublication Date: 2005-11-01This two-volume encyclopedia provides background information regarding key issues, figures and writings specific to third wave feminist activism. Vol. 2 provides excerpts of primary documents on broad themes such as cultural resistance, consumerism and globalization.
Black Women in America by Call Number: E185.86 .B542 2005 Reference CollectionPublication Date: 2005-05-19
The Columbia Guide to Asian American History by Call Number: E184.O6 C634 2001 Reference CollectionPublication Date: 2001-11-14
Encyclopedia of African American History, 1896 to the Present by Call Number: E185 .E5453 2009 Reference CollectionPublication Date: 2009-02-02
Milestone Documents in African American History by Call Number: E184.6 .M55 2010 Reference CollectionISBN: 9781935306054Publication Date: 2010-05-01
Encyclopedia of Women in American History by Call Number: HQ1410 .E53 2001Publication Date: 2002-02-28
Online Resources
- Oxford Reference OnlineOver 1 million entries from Oxford University Press subject dictionaries, encylopedias, and companions. Covers the arts , biological and physical sciences, business and economics, history, politics, philosophy and religion, the classics, mythology, literature and more.
- Women and Social Movements in the United States 1600-2000(1600 – 2000) This database in American women’s history includes more than 70 document projects, each of which poses a topic and provides a collection of documents, images and links to websites to address the topic.
- Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World HistoryOver 650 biographies and 600 topical essays on culture, society, geography, history, movements, trends, gender studies, etc. -- from prehistory to the present.
- International Encyclopedia of the Social SciencesThe "International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences," (published in 2008), contains nearly 3,000 articles contributed by international experts in all social science disciplines. The HTML view includes links to related articles and topics. Individual articles can also be viewed and downloaded as pdf files. Readers can use the eTable of Contents to access an interdisciplinary annotated bibliography in vol. 9.