Reference sources such as specialized encyclopedias, handbooks, and dictionaries are a good place to get
Biographies of people who have shaped British history and culture, worldwide, from ancient times to the present. Each short article is written by an expert scholar and concisely describes a person's life, accomplishments, and influence, citing relevant sources. Covers Roman-era Britain to 21st century; only deceased individuals are included.
Dates: 100 BCE-2020 CE
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Annotated bibliographies for a variety of subject areas.
Covers every aspect of the visual arts from prehistory to the present including art movements, media & materials, themes & subjects, specific places & monuments, and individual artists with bibliographies and image links. Includes Grove Art Online, The Oxford Companion to Western Art, Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, and The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms all in one interface.
Leading comprehensive dictionary of the English language across the world. Each entry lists a word's changing meanings (including current definitions and ones that are obsolete), and illustrates those changes with quotations from literary texts, news sources, and historical records.
Trying some initial searches in SuperSearch can be a great way to begin to explore a topic from many angles across a variety of disciplines and types of sources. Start with a simple search and scan the results, paying attention to aspects of the topic that jump out at you or resonate with you.
Because SuperSearch contains so much content from so many different kinds of sources, the results can sometimes be overwhelming and hard to focus. At the same time, SuperSearch is also not comprehensive and can miss key sources. To search with more focus, precision, and depth, try some of the databases and other resources recommended below and on the other pages of this guide.