Useful Subject Encyclopedias
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Grove Art OnlineArticles on every aspect of the visual arts (painting, sculpture, graphic arts, architecture, decorative arts and photography) from prehistory to the present.
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Grove Music OnlineAuthoritative reference resource for all genres of music (best for classical and jazz).
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Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and PerformanceCovers theatre and performance around the world and throughout history.
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Oxford Companion to Western ArtProvides in-depth coverage of Western Art with entries on artists and their works, styles and movements, art forms and art terms, combined with more modern methodologies, focused on patronage, taste, theory, and criticism, and the scientific examination of materials and techniques.
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Cambridge Companions Online: Literature and ClassicsOffers thousands of comprehensive and accessible essays on major authors, periods and genres, written by experts and designed for student readers.
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Cambridge Companions Online: MusicProvide clear and accessible information on composers, instruments or musical topics, written with the student, the performer and the music lover in mind.
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The Dictionary of the History of Ideas,Earlier edition of The New Dictionary of the History of Ideas, but this one is online.
Other Useful Research Guides
Basic Library Tools
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Library CatalogThis is where you will go to locate books, documents, and audio-visual materials owned by the libraries at the University of Richmond.
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Academic Search CompleteComprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary resource containing a large number of peer-reviewed journals.
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WorldCat (FirstSearch)A comprehensive catalog of books and other resources in libraries worldwide. Includes information about where items are located.
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Journal TitlesList of journal TITLES -- if we subscribe to it, how to access it (in print or online), and what years are available.
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Google ScholarProvides the ability to perform a broad search for scholarly literature. From one place, you can search across many disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other web sites.
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OneSearchA discovery tool that searches most of the University Libraries' collections, including books, journal articles, newspapers, dissertations, music, and video recordings.
Starting Your Research
Getting Started with Your Research
I recommend that you start by asking yourself concrete questions of the sort that will generate a plan of action. Each of them can be expanded and repeated as necessary.
- What do I want to know? (Make yourself an initial list of questions)
- Do I need background information on people, places, concepts, events?
- Who (what field of study, group of researchers, organizations, etc.) is likely to have published relevant information or ideas?
- Where and in what form are the results of their research likely to be published?
- What questions should I ask in trying to identify that research?
- How should I interpret or evaluate the information I find?
- Are there primary (un-interpreted) sources I should consult? Who would have created them?
- What new questions are raised by these sources, both primary and secondary?
Make your life easier: Keep track of your research progress by recording the following:
- Bibliographic information on the works you consult;
- Any developments or refinements in your topic;
- Names of key persons, authorities, cases, places, or events;
- New terms you discover in titles, abstracts, or articles that might be helpful in searching for other sources.
- Saving search results to an electronic file, for easier searching and sorting later.
Humanities Librarian
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LibGuides Menu
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OneSearchA discovery tool that searches most of the University Libraries' collections, including books, journal articles, newspapers, dissertations, music, and video recordings.
