Library Guides: Visiting the University of Chicago Library: Starting Points for Research

Recommended Starting Points

Using the University of Chicago's massive collections online and in print can be challenging when starting a research project. If you are looking for good sources for a project, below are some good starting points.

Please note that the resources listed below are only available during your visit.

Oxford Bibliographies Online This link opens in a new window
This source lists recommended readings for a wide variety of subject areas. Enter your keywords to locate different lists of resources for your area of interest.
Regularly updated annotated bibliographies. University of Chicago Library subscribes to many sections of Oxford Bibliographies Online such as African Studies, Anthropology, Art History, Atlantic History, Buddhism, Childhood Studies, Chinese Studies, Cinema and Media Studies, Classics, Environmental Science, Geography, International Law, International Relations, Islamic Studies, Latin American Studies, Medieval Studies, Military History, Music, Political Science, Renaissance and Reformation, Social Work, and Sociology.
Oxford Handbooks Online This link opens in a new window
Handbooks can provide a good overview of a research field, offering articles by respected authors on different subtopics.
Search all articles in all Handbooks regardless of whether or not the Library has purchased access to the electronic edition. If you need an article that is locked (abstract access only), try searching for the title of the handbook in the Library Catalog for a print copy.
Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window
Search scholarly encyclopedias for a brief overview of different topics or people in literature, history, science, and more.
Provides access to over 120 language and subject dictionaries, reference works, and biographical directories in a variety of disciplines published by OUP that can be searched individually or in one cross-searchable database.
Cambridge Companions Online This link opens in a new window
Guidebooks written by leading experts, offering introductions to major writers, artists, philosophers, topics, and periods. Great for literature or history.
This database offers subject or theme based collections of content within a richly functional, fully cross-searchable online environment. The books in these series survey scholarship on individual writers or other notable people, on schools of thought, and other topics. They serve as textbooks, as excellent starting places for research, and as scholarly works in their own right.
SAGE Research Methods Core This link opens in a new window
Includes helpful books and guides on research methodologies and techniques. After your search, select "Content that is available to me" for our subscription.
SAGE Research Methods provides material to guide users through every step of the research process. It contains more than 1000 books, reference works, journal articles, and instructional videos by academics from across the social sciences.

Research Guides

Librarians at the University of Chicago Library have put together a collection of guides to assist with research in a wide array of majors and fields. These guides can direct you to the most pertinent and important journals, databases, primary sources, collections, study tools and more.

Subject Guides: These are organized to help you navigate and find sources by topic (history, music, chemistry, etc.)
Help Guides: These guides can help you find specific types of sources--from newspapers to films to art.

I'm Researching...

Below are some of the Library's help guides for common research topics.

Chicago History or Genealogy

Legal Research

Legal Research for Non-Lawyers

Medical Research

Consumer Health Research

Business or Entrepreneurship

Books in Other Languages or From Around the World

Ask a Librarian

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773-825-6777 (Text)

Subjects: Astronomy & Astrophysics, Biological Sciences, Humanities, Molecular Engineering, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences