WMU Research Guides: African American and African Studies: Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Selective List of Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

Online Reference Databases

There are entire online databases full of reference material. Take a look at these:

Credo General Reference This link opens in a new window
Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new window
Oxford Reference This link opens in a new window
Included in this database are the following titles: Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment, Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages, The Oxford Classical Dictionary, The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, The Oxford Dictionary of the Renaissance, and The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation.

The Big Picture

Africana : The Encyclopedia of the African and African Ameriacan Experience
Call Number: DT 14 .A37435 2005

Use encyclopedias and other reference books as an alternative to the Wikipedia. They will provide you with a good overview of a topic and entries usually give you references for further reading. Try this print one:

Cambridge Histories Online

Cambridge Histories Online This link opens in a new window
A historical reference compendium, covering 15 broad academic subject areas, that allows instant access to the 300+ volumes in the Cambridge Histories series.

Meet Your Librarian

Carrie Leatherman

She/Her

Email Me

Librarian:

Waldo Library, First Floor, Rm 1009

(269) 387-5142

Subjects: African American and African Studies, Anthropology, Economics, Global and International Studies, History, Political Science, Psychology, Public Affairs and Administration, Sociology and Criminal Justice