Background information can help you prepare for further research by explaining concepts related to your topic, especially if you are researching an unfamiliar topic or discipline. Entries in reference resources tend to be short and can help you get started with research on a new topic, identify trends in a subject area, and define unfamiliar terms or people from your readings. Reference resources include encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases and handbooks.
Use the Gale Virtual Reference Library to search in online reference books. Use the Topic Finder tool in the bottom right-hand corner to brainstorm ideas for a research topic.
Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz
Century of American Popular Music: 2000 Best-Loved and Remembered Songs (1899-1999)
Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World
Five Centuries of Women Singers
Popular Music Culture: The Key Concepts
The Story Behind the Song: 150 Songs that Chronicle the 20th Century
Use Biography in Context to search for biographical information on some of the world's most influential people.