Research Guides
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- COM 496: Honors Seminar - Fall 2015 (Nishime)
- Background Sources and Literature
COM 496: Honors Seminar - Fall 2015 (Nishime): Background Sources and Literature
Background Sources in the UW Libraries
Encyclopedias and dictionaries provide background information and can be used to identify key people, events and dates which can then be used as search terms for finding additional information. In addition most encyclopedia articles include short bibliographies that will lead you to related readings.
These collections include encyclopedias covering many different subjects. Search them to find an encyclopedia or other reference book related to your topic.
- CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
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Provides extensive reports on social issues published from 1923 to the present. - Oxford Bibliographies This link opens in a new window
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Scholarly, annotated listing of the most important and significant sources on social sciences and humanities subjects.
- Gale Virtual Reference
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More than 100 special encyclopedias covering all subjects
- Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window
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More than 70 dictionaries and encyclopedias covering all subjects
Communication-related encyclopedias
Search UW WorldCat to find communication-related encyclopedias.
The Libraries has some available only in print and others available online.
Here are just a few examples:
- Encyclopedia of Children, Adolescents, and the Media
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- Encyclopedia of Communication Theory
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- Encyclopedia of Politics, the Media, and Popular Culture
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- Encyclopedia of Religion, Communication and Media
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- Encyclopedia of Science and Technology Communication
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- The International Encyclopedia of Communication
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- Encyclopedia of gender in media
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