Skip to Main Content

Education

This guide highlights resources related to education.

Brainstorming

As with any research project, the first step is generally to select your topic. Reference materials (encyclopedias, dictionaries, bibliographies, etc. . .) can be a great way to get started. These resources offer overviews of thousands of topics and will help you launch into your search for the scholarly resources that you will need to use to support your research. On this page you will find some selections to get you started.

When brainstorming, it can also be helpful to browse popular, non-scholarly resources in order to understand the status of general discourse on your topic and explore diverse viewpoints while developing thesis statement that can be supported with scholarly resources.

Getting Started

  • Read your assignment carefully! 
    • Take note of important elements such as the due date, the format, the length, the type of materials you are expected to use, and any other specific requirements.
    • Break down the assignment into elements such as the following:
      • Who or what are you researching?
      • Are you arguing a specific point of view or analyzing a specific topic?
      • What do you know about the topic already?
  • Start with brainstorming and background research:
    • Explore the assigned topic using broad, informational resources such as encyclopedias and reference databases that will help you understand the context of the topic.
    • While you are exploring the topic, look for common terms, themes, and ideas.
    • Use the outline of the assignment and your background research to brainstorm topics and thesis statements.
  • Support your topic/thesis statement with high-quality resources that meet the requirements of your assignment:
    • Scholarly materials (also known as peer-reviewed materials) are often required for academic research projects. This is because these resources must be written by experts in the fields, published in reputable journals, reviewed by other experts, and must be based on quality work.

For more information on planning your research, visit the Writing Center, where professional and accomplished writing consultants will guide you through your writing project.

Oxford Reference Premium

Running a basic search in Oxford Reference Premium is similar to searching in Wikipedia. You can use general keywords and phrases in your search and Britannica Academic will return results that include some or all of your keywords.

Oxford Reference Premium landing page.

 

On the search results page, Oxford Reference Premium offers a series of post-search filtering options on the left side of the page under the heading "Narrow Your Choices":

""

By default, Oxford Reference Premium shows all content in the results, which includes articles that are not available in full-text. Item availability is indicated to the right of the result with a green open lock Green open lock icon., the word Free in a green oval Free in a green oval icon., or a red closed lock Closed red lock icon..

To limit the results list to items that are available in full-text, check the "Unlocked" and "Free" boxes under the heading "By Availability" in the left side menu and click submit:

""

 

Oxford Reference Premium has a help page with additional tips for searching and making the most of the database. To access the help page, click "Help" at the bottom of any page in the database:

""

Encyclopedias & Dictionaries