A Handbook to Literature
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Thedefinitive,contemporary reference on literature and literary criticism in English, this handbook provides an alphabetical listing of more than 2,000 important terms and facts in literature, linguistics, rhetoric, criticism, printing, bookselling, and information technology.Covers a wide range of terms, most centered in literature, but extending into other areas, such as film, radio, TV, printing, linguistics and literary theory, music, graphic arts, classical studies, and computing and information science terms.For anyone interested in literature and literary criticism.
The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English, new ed.
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An authoritative and international survey of world literature in English. The Guide covers everything from Old English to Contemporary Writing from all over the English-speaking world. It covers poems, novels, literary journals and plays.
A Dictionary of Literary Symbols, 2nd ed.
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Explains and illustrates the literary symbols that we all frequently encounter (such as swan, rose, moon, gold), and gives hundreds of cross-references and quotations.
Continuum Encyclopedia of British Literature
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Entries by more than 200 authorities covering all of British literature.
Step 2 of the research process often involves finding an overview of a topic, checking facts and data, checking dates of significant events, or looking up definitions of specialized terms. Step 2 can also help you test your research question to see if it is too broad or to narrow.
Like the roots of a tree, background information is not always visible but it does play an important role in your research. While Google can be helpful in this regard, you may find some of the UC Merced Reference Databases useful for definitions and background information. Spending time on this step of the process can help give you valuable context that will help you with other steps like searching for research and writing about your topic.
Tip: Background information is often called "reference information" in libraries and library databases. Reference information is also called a "tertiary source."
The types of resources you plan to research and include as part of your thesis can influence your search strategies.
Think about the type of material that you need -- do you need to find a letter? A scholarly article? A book?
Scenario 1: You found a letter written by William Blake and would like to find information that situates the content of the letter in the context of Blake's work. What type of resource might you look for?
Scenario 2: You are interested in movies that reflect and comment on William Blake's work. Where might you find information?
Scenario 3: You want to find an analysis of biblical influences on Charles Dickens' work. What might you search for?
Note: knowing what you need to find will help you find it. Some databases have scholarly articles, while others include popular sources. Many have both. In addition, there are databases that include illustrations, musical recordings, and more.
Provides access to a collection of reference books including encyclopedias, dictionaries, measurement conversions and more. For Chrome browser users, follow this link to troubleshoot a known issue.
Access to 25 peer-reviewed, up-to-date encyclopedias spanning a variety of disciplines, including Social Work and Classics.
This reference collection of almost 900 titles includes books from 30 Sci-Tech publishers. The main subject areas include Engineering, Life Sciences & Chemistry, and Materials. All titles are available in full-text and are searchable. Additional features include interactive tables, equation plotters and graph digitizers.
CQ Researcher offers in-depth, unbiased coverage of a pressing political or social issue. Covers topics in health, international affairs, education, public policy, the environment, technology, and the U.S. economy.
Access to articles on current global issues in regards to business, economics, crime, politics and more. Updated monthly, with previous months archived.
An eBook collection from a variety of academic subject areas. View titles online. Login to use personalized tools such as the bookshelf and highlighting.
Full-text versions of scholarly journals and books from university presses and scholarly societies. Focused on the humanities and social sciences.
What is considered background information 
and whether to cite it can vary by discipline. If you're not sure what it is or where to find it, check out this YouTube video on primary, secondary, and tertiary sources from Suffolk County Library.
Are you citing background information in your research paper/project? You can always check with your instructor to see if that is acceptable for the assignment or within your discipline/major.
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