Finding Background Information
Background sources, including encyclopedia articles, can be helpful in narrowing down your topic and finding additional keywords to search. Read through the bibliography or references section to identify books and articles related to your topic.
- Points of View Reference Center This link opens in a new window
Designed to assist researchers in understanding the full scope of controversial subjects.
Search Many Encyclopedias
- Gale eBooks (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library) 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. - 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. - Oxford Research Encyclopedias This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive collections of in-depth, peer-reviewed summaries on an ever-growing range of topics.
Criminal Justice Encyclopedias & Reference Resources
Encyclopedia of Community Policing and Problem Solving by ISBN: 9781452276106Community policing, as a philosophy, supports the systematic use of partnerships and problem-solving techniques to proactively address the immediate conditions that give rise to public safety issues, including crime, social disorder, and fear of crime--as opposed to responding to crime after it occurs. Community policing expands the traditional police mandate. It broadens the focus of fighting crime to include solving community problems and forming partnerships with people in the community so average citizens can contribute to the policing process.
Gale Encyclopedia of Everyday Law by ISBN: 9781414498997This encyclopedia fills a gap between legal texts focusing on the theory and history behind the law and more practical guides dealing with the law and its everyday effect upon its citizens. Containing approximately 200 articles, the Encyclopedia includes: brief descriptions of each issue's historical background, covering important statutes and cases; profiles of various U.S. laws and regulations; and details of how laws and regulations vary from state to state
