Study Guides and Help
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Library study guides to help with your research.
Organize all your research in one place and format it into the correct citation style.
Watch Video
- Biography.comThis is a commercial site, but informative short biographies on famous people are available. (ex. search Albert Einstein)
- Learner.orgSearch biography in the search box in the upper right and retrieve links to free, educational videos.
How to Find Biographical Information
There are three types of biography according to The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Term: Autobiography, biography and memoir. See our study guide for information on each of these.
Look Here First
- Biography in ContextBiography in Context provides thumbnail & narrative biographies on over 500,000 people from standard library reference books. There are also full-text biographical articles from about 265 magazines. Gale/Library Subscription
- Dictionary of Literary BiographyCritical biographies of literary authors from all time periods, genres, and national literatures. This database can be searched by itself or simultaneously with Contemporary Literary Criticism and Contemporary Authors. Gale/Library Subscription
- Oxford Reference OnlineCovering the full spectrum of subjects: from General Reference & Language to Science & Medicine, from Humanities & Social Sciences to Business and Professional, Oxford Reference Online is a full & authoritative resource of over 100 dictionaries and reference titles. Oxford U. Press/Library Subscription
- Contemporary AuthorsContains the full text of critical biographies of literary authors from the beginning of the 20th century to the present.Gale/Library Subscription
- Biography and Genealogy Master IndexIndexes current, readily available reference sources, as well as the most important retrospective works that cover individuals, both living and deceased, from every field of activity and from all areas of the world. Gale/Library Subscription
Find Articles
- Academic OneFileDirected primarily at academic researchers, Academic OneFile is a collection of more than 8,000 journals covering a variety of academic disciplines from science, technology and medicine to the humanities. Content is provided in both HTML and PDF formats. Gale/Library Subscription
- Academic Search CompleteProvides full text for nearly 5,318 scholarly publications covering academic areas of study including social sciences, humanities, education, biological & ecological sciences, computer sciences, engineering, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, and ethnic studies. EBSCO/TexShare
Search the Library Catalog
There are many ways to search for books in the Library Catalog. One way is to use the KEYWORD search. Keep these things in mind:
- Select keywords (generally nouns) that describe your topic
- Use a connecting word between the keywords. The most common connecting word is AND.
- Put phrases in quotation marks
Here are some examples:
Visit Recommended Web sites
- IPL BiographiesAccounts of persons' lives written by another from Internet Public Library.
- Biographical DictionaryCovers more than 28,000 notable men and women who have shaped our world from ancient times to the present day.
- Biographical Dictionary of the U.S. CongressProvides biographical information on the more than 13,000 persons who have served in the U.S. Congress.
Ask A Librarian
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Evaluating Web sites
Although the Internet is a good way to get a sense of what is out there, you will need to go further before investigate using its information in your papers. Critically evaluate each website and question the following:
Authority - Is the website based on reputable and reliable sources? Is there a bibilography? Are there citations? Is the author of the website an expert on this subject?
Objectivity - Is the website free of bias? Who is responsible for the website? Are you getting an educated version of this topic, or is it just opinion?
Currency - Has the page been updated recently enough so that it reflects the most current data? Is there a date to indicate that this page is regularly evaluated and maintained?
Coverage - Does the website have valid information on the topic? Is it free of typos and errors? Does the page have a professional look and free of advertising? Are there links to other worthwhile websites?
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