LibGuides: FYWB 1117: Reading the Body (Lie-Spahn): Background Information

Using Encyclopedias in your Research

Wikipedia

As the world's largest encyclopedia, Wikipedia's coverage is vast. You are more likely to find articles on obscure topics in Wikipedia than you would anywhere else. But is Wikipedia accurate? While Wikipedia can be edited by anyone in the world (including you!), scholarly encyclopedias like Encyclopedia Britannica are written and edited by experts in their fields. However, 2005 study in the journal Nature weighed the accuracy of science articles on Wikipedia against the more scholarly Encyclopedia Britannica, Wikipedia was found to be nearly as accurate in the 42 articles investigated. Encyclopedia Britannica refuted these claims. When using Wikipedia, or any encyclopedia for that matter, it is wise to verify what you find.

Strengths of Wikipedia

Wikipedia is updated frequently. New information can be, and often is, added to the site within minutes. Due to editorial limitations, scholarly encyclopedias are usually updated annually.
Because Wikipedia crowd sourced, there is the potential for a broader authorship than is found in academic publications.
Citations in Wikipedia offer a wider array of materials, including articles and resources that are available for free and online.

Weaknesses of Wikipedia

Editors on Wikipedia are not necessarily experts. Authorship on Wikipedia is often anonymous or obscured.
Articles are always changing, making them difficult to cite in your research. An article you read today, may look quite different tomorrow.
Articles can be vandalized, providing wildly inaccurate information.

Ways to use Wikipedia

Use Wikipedia to get a general idea about a topic you are interested in.
Wikipedia is great for generating keywords for further searching in CLIO and elsewhere.
Check the citations, recommended resources and external links to guide you to more scholarly work.

Scholarly Encyclopedias

Similar to Wikipedia, these resources provide an overview on a given topic, but the authors are experts in the fields they are covering. Below you will find a few general encyclopedia collections with coverage across a wide variety of fields.

Credo
Credo is a database of background content. It's full-text and can help you learn the basics of any topic. Start your research here to focus your topic, find keywords and people, and discover more in-depth books and articles.
Gale Virtual Reference Library
Gale Virtual Reference Library is a database of encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research.
Oxford Reference Library
Brings together digitized entries from Oxford's Dictionaries, Companions and Encyclopedias, spanning multiple subject areas.

Sage Knowledge
A database of ebooks and reference books published by SAGE covering the social sciences and education, including such areas as African American Studies, Aged & Gerontology, Anthropology, Communication and Media Studies, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Economics, Education, Gender & Sexuality Studies, History, Politics, Psychology, Social Issues, Social Work & Social Policy, and Sociology.

[image] Suze Meyers, Feminist Wikipedia, 2016.

Online Resources

Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance by Cary D. Wintz (Editor); Paul Finkelman (Editor)
Call Number: Butler Reference R978N48 EN23 & ebook
ISBN: 157958389X
Publication Date: 2004-10-17
Both print and ebook. From the music of Louis Armstrong to the portraits by Beauford Delaney, the writings of Langston Hughes to the debut of the musical Show Boat, the Harlem Renaissance is one of the most significant developments in African-American history in the twentieth century. The Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance,in two-volumes and over 635 entries, is the first comprehensive compilation of information on all aspects of this creative, dynamic period.
In Search of Nella Larsen: a biography of the color line by George Hutchinson
Call Number: Butler Stacks PS3523.A7225 Z69 2006 & ebook
ISBN: 0674021800
Publication Date: 2006-05-30
Both print and ebook. Nella Larsen (1891-1964) lived her life in the shadows of America's racial divide. She wrote about that life, was briefly celebrated in her time, and then was lost to later generations. This work exposes the truths and half-truths surrounding this central figure of modern literary studies.
The Cambridge Companion to African American Women's Literature by Angelyn Mitchell (Editor); Danille K. Taylor (Editor)
Call Number: Butler Stacks PS153.N5 C343 2009 & ebook
ISBN: 9780521858885
Publication Date: 2009-04-30
Both print and ebook. The Cambridge Companion to African American Women's Literature covers a period dating back to the eighteenth century. These specially commissioned essays highlight the artistry, complexity and diversity of a literary tradition that ranges from Lucy Terry to Toni Morrison. A wide range of topics are addressed, from the Harlem Renaissance to the Black Arts Movement, and from the performing arts to popular fiction. Together, the essays provide an invaluable guide to a rich, complex tradition of women writers in conversation with each other as they critique American society and influence American letters. Accessible and vibrant, with the needs of undergraduate students in mind, this Companion will be of great interest to anybody who wishes to gain a deeper understanding of this important and vital area of American literature.
The Cambridge Companion to the Harlem Renaissance by George Hutchinson (Editor)
Call Number: Butler Stacks PS153.N5 C345 2007 & ebook
ISBN: 9780521856997
Publication Date: 2007-06-14
The Harlem Renaissance (1918-1937) was the most influential single movement in African American literary history. Its key figures include W. E. B. Du Bois, Nella Larsen, Zora Neale Hurston, Claude McKay, and Langston Hughes. The movement laid the groundwork for all later African American literature, and had an enormous impact on later black literature world-wide. With chapters by a wide range of well-known scholars, this 2007 Companion is an authoritative and engaging guide to the movement. It first discusses the historical contexts of the Harlem Renaissance, both national and international; then presents original discussions of a wide array of authors and texts; and finally treats the reputation of the movement in later years. Giving full play to the disagreements and differences that energized the renaissance, this Companion presents a set of new readings encouraging further exploration of this dynamic field.
A Companion to the Harlem Renaissance by Cherene Sherrard-Johnson
Call Number: Butler Stacks PS153.N5 C577 2015 & ebook
ISBN: 9781118494066
Publication Date: 2015-07-20
Both print and ebook. A Companion to the Harlem Renaissance presents a comprehensive collection of original essays that address the literature and culture of the Harlem Renaissance from the end of World War I to the middle of the 1930s. Represents the most comprehensive coverage of themes and unique new perspectives on the Harlem Renaissance available.
The Cambridge History of African American Literature by Maryemma Graham (Editor); Jerry W. Ward (Editor)
Call Number: Butler Stacks PS153.N5 G685 2011 & ebook
ISBN: 9780521872171
Publication Date: 2011-02-03
Both print and ebook. The first major twenty-first century history of four hundred years of black writing, The Cambridge History of African American Literature presents a comprehensive overview of the literary traditions, oral and print, of African-descended peoples in the United States. Expert contributors, drawn from the United States and beyond, emphasise the dual nature of each text discussed as a work of art created by an individual and as a response to unfolding events in American cultural, political, and social history. Unprecedented in scope, sophistication and accessibility, the volume draws together current scholarship in the field. It also looks ahead to suggest new approaches, new areas of study, and as yet undervalued writers and works.
Women of the Harlem Renaissance by Cheryl A. Wall
Call Number: Butler Stacks PS153.N5 W33 1995 & ebook
ISBN: 0253329086
Publication Date: 1995-10-01
Both print and ebook. Features the lives and work of women in the Harlem Renaissance - Jessie Redmon Fauset, Nella Larsen, Zora Neale Hurston, and others - situated in the traditions of African-American and American writing.