An Introduction to Research Processes

Back to Using Periodical Indexes and Bibliographies

A useful way to find good research sources is to take advantage of the research other people have already done on your subject. Bibliographies are lists of sources on particular topics. Researchers compile them after completing their research, and they publish them so that other researchers (including you) won't have to duplicate their work. Bibliographies can give citations for a wide variety of materials — including not only books and articles but also films, manuscripts, letters, government documents, and pamphlets — and they will probably lead you to sources that you wouldn't otherwise find. Remember, though, that a bibliography is not a specialized version of your library catalog — not all of the sources will be available in your library or even available through interlibrary loan.

Sometimes you may be able to locate a book-length bibliography on your subject. For example, Essential Shakespeare is a bibliography that lists the best books and articles published on each of Shakespeare's works, a wonderful shortcut if you're looking for worthwhile criticism. To find a book-length bibliography in a computerized library, add the word "bibliography" to a subject or keyword search. If you're lucky, such a bibliography will include annotations that describe and evaluate each source.

If there aren't any book-length bibliographies devoted to your subject, you can still take advantage of the work that other researchers have done. Every time you find a good book or article, look to see what sources the author draws on; chances are, at least some of these sources will be useful to you, too. An author may record his or her source information in several different places and formats. A full-length book may have a section labeled "Bibliography" at the back, or perhaps a section called "For Further Reading." If the author has quoted or referred to other works, there should be a list called "References" or "Works Cited" at the end. If the book or article uses footnotes or endnotes, be sure to check those too for possible leads.