Examples of Encyclopedias
Modern Drama by
The story of modern drama is a tale of extremes, testing both audiences and actors to their limits through hostility and contrarianism. Spanning 1880 to the present, Kirsten E. Shepherd-Barr shows how truly international a phenomenon modern drama has become, and how vibrant and diverse in bothtext and performance.ThisVery Short Introduction explores the major developments of modern drama, covering two decades per chapter, from early modernist theatre through post-war developments to more recent and contemporary theatre. Shepherd-Barr tracks the emergence of new theories from the likes of Brecht and Beckettalongside groundbreaking productions to illuminate the fascinating evolution of modern drama.ABOUT THE SERIES:TheVery Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to makeinteresting and challenging topics highly readable.
ISBN: 9780199658770Publication Date: 2016
Find Background Information Tutorial Video
Finding Background Information
A starting point for your research.
Encyclopedias, books, news sources, popular magazines, and search engines can lead you to articles that will be helpful in narrowing down your topic and finding additional keywords to search. When using an encyclopedia, read through an article's bibliography or references section to identify scholarly books and articles related to your topic.
You may not cite the sources you find as you begin your research. Use the background knowledge you build from these sources to develop your understanding of the language used by people discussing your topic. Add this vocabulary to a word bank you will use to search for credible and scholarly sources later on.
Use this stage of your research to get a sense for your topic, in order to narrow your focus and move to a thesis.
Searchable encyclopedia databases
- Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
An online library of hundreds of reference titles for multi-disciplinary research, including texts related to American and world history, biography, health, arts, business, travel, religion, and multicultural studies. - Oxford Research Encyclopedias This link opens in a new window
Current, peer-reviewed research from more than 25 encylcopedias. This includes the Encyclopedia of Social Work and the Oxford Classical Dictionary. - Very Short Introductions This link opens in a new window
Concise introductions to a diverse range of subject areas written by experts in the field. Browsable subject areas include Arts & Humanities, Law, Medicine & Health, Science & Mathematics, and Social Sciences.
Finding Background Information Online
- Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Large database of citations from papers, reports and books.
Searching in popular news sources, Google Scholar, and even Wikipedia can help you find background information and develop your topic in the first stages of your research.
Do not cite a Wikipedia article, but you may use this as a starting point to locate more credible sources.
