Reference works. Consulting general reference works is another good way to get started on a research project. These works are especially helpful for getting an overview of a topic, identifying subtopics, finding more specialized sources, and identifying useful keywords for electronic searches.

encyclopedias. Encyclopedias offer general background on a subject and often include bibliographies that can point you to more specialized sources. Remember that encyclopedias will serve as a place to start your research—not as major sources for a research project.

biographical resources. The lives and the historical settings of famous people are the topics of biographical dictionaries and indexes.

bibliographies. Bibliographies are collections of resources available on a subject—for example, Shakespeare or World War II. Bibliographies may be databases or bound collections, and they may list books alone, both books and articles, or media such as film or video. A bibliography may simply list or describe each resource it includes, or it may include analysis of the resources.

almanacs, yearbooks, and atlases. Almanacs and yearbooks contain data on current events and statistical information. Look in an atlas for maps and other geographic data.