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Research Guides

Why Use Background Sources?

 Encyclopedia of Language Development    Blackwell Handbook of Language Development     The Oxford Handbook of Developmental Linguistics

Background sources help you figure out the who, what & where of a topic. Knowing the who, what & where of a topic is the first step in researching a topic and discovering the "how" and "why". Encyclopedias and handbooks can provide background information and can be used to identify key concepts which can then be used as search terms for finding additional information. Many also provide a jumpstart on your research by listing related readings.​ 

Useful online encyclopedia collections: Gale Ebooks, Sage Reference Online, & Oxford Reference Online.