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Research Guides

Why Use Background Sources?

Routledge Handbook of Ecocriticism and Environmental Communication                  Oxford Encyclopedia of Climate Change Communication                Routledge Handbook of Envrionment and Communication  

Encyclopedias 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 dictionaries can 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. Many also provide a jumpstart on your research by listing related readings.​ Both print and online encyclopedias are listed below.

Useful online encyclopedia collections: Gale Ebooks, Sage Reference Online, & Oxford Reference Online (Science and Technology)