Dust jacket from the first edition of To the Lighthouse. Designed by Vanessa Bell. Image from Credo Reference.
For the student and scholar, reference can have two meaning. One, a source that you can refer to for answers, and also the source, or reference, that accompanies a book or article. A good encyclopedia article gives you the best of both. Try starting your research with Credo Reference.
For more in-depth answers, check out such diverse works as the Gothic Literature: A Gale Critical Companion or The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Latino Literature or Books to Film: Cinematic Adaptations of Literary Works or the ever-quirky A Dictionary of English Folklore.
Browse English & literature encyclopedias.
Remember to check the bibliography at the end of an article - a basic trick to build your own bibliography for your paper. Browse the master list of print & electronic encyclopedias available to you as a student for more great sources for your other classes.
Handy tip: Take advantage of the tool to search "within series" in the right-hand column.
Louis Erdrich, Anishinaabe author from Minnesota. Winner of the 2012 National Book Award for her novel The Round House. API image via Credo Reference.