Getting Started

Not sure where to start your research?

Articles in scholarly encyclopedias usually present a good overview of the topic and identify the current issues, approaches, and scholarship relating to that topic. Knowing the issues can help you focus your research on a particular aspect of a topic.

Bibliographies

Bibliographies are great for finding out what has been written/is available on a specific topic.

Encyclopedia of American Studies.: Sponsored by the American Studies Association, the Encyclopedia has some 650 signed, scholarly articles with bibliographies on topics, problems, themes and issues relating to the American experience.; Danbury, CT., Grolier Educational, 2001. 4 volumes. List of Entries Available?

St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture: Tom and Sara Pendergast, editors. Detroit, MI, St. James Press, 2000. 5 vols.; 2700 signed entries with bibliographies on all aspects of 20th century U.S. popular culture.; Off-Campus Access Rutgers-restricted Access; Dana Call Number: Ref. E169.1 .S764 2000

Encyclopedia of African American Popular Culture: Jessie Carney Smith, editor. Santa Barbara, Calif., Greenwood, 2011. 4 vols.; Over 600 signed entries on all aspects of African American popular culture ranging from "Aunt Jemima" to "Civil Rights" to "Zydeco Music." Entries include brief bibliographies. Appendix includes list of African American films and radio and television programs.; Off-Campus Access Rutgers-restricted Access

LGBT: Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History in America: New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 2004. 3 vols.; Off-Campus Access Rutgers-restricted Access

Bibliographies

American Studies: An Annotated Bibliography: Jack Salzman, editor. New York, Cambridge University Press, 1986. 3 vols.; Dana Call Number: Ref. E189.1 .A436 1986

American Studies: An Annotated Bibliography, 1984-1988 [Google Book Limited Preview]: Jack Salzman, editor. New York, Cambridge University Press, 1990.; Dana Call Number: Ref. E189.1 .S35 1990

Interdisciplinary Cultural Theory: Extensive critical bibliography by Dr. T.V. Reed, Professor of American Studies and English at Washington State University.