1 - Find Topic Overviews - Literature - Guides & Tutorials at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Find Topic Overviews

In this section, I will show you 2 types of resources for locating a comprehensive overview on your topic. Online reference collections allow you to cross-search hundreds of digitized reference books to find an encyclopedia entry on your topic. Specialized encyclopedias are also searchable as e-books.

Browsing E-reference Tools

Literature -- Selected Dictionaries & Encyclopedias

The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms by Chris Baldick (2015)
Access from Oxford Reference Online. [More like this]
The Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature by David Scott Kastan (2006)
Access via Oxford Reference Online
Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature
Access via Oxford Reference Online
The Continuum Encyclopedia of British literature
Access via Credo Reference

Science Fiction -- Selected Dictionaries & Encyclopedias

Brave New Words: Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction by Jeff Prucher (2007)
Access via Oxford Reference
Science Fiction Writers by Richard Bleiler (1999)
Access via Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL)
The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction by John Clute, Peter Nicholls (1993)
Borrow it from the Library. 2nd edition (1999) also available.
A Companion to Science Fiction by David Seed (2005)
Access via Wiley Online Library
The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction by Edward James; Farah Mendlesohn (2003)
Access via Ebscohost Ebooks

Fantasy -- Selected Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Other E-Reference Collections

To get background and introductory information on your topic, start by searching these online collections of authoritative reference material--comprising dictionaries, encyclopdias, handbooks and more.

Credo Reference
Credo Reference is a searchable collection of reference books covering 22 subjects. Cross-search millions of full text articles in 800+ dictionaries and encyclopedias from reputable publishers.
Oxford Reference
Oxford Reference is a searchable collection of reference books published by Oxford University Press. Find full-text entries on topics from every discipline.
Gale Virtual Reference Library
A searchable collection of about 200 reference e-books published by over 150 industry-leading publishers. Coverage of topics in 19 subject areas.

Browsing Selected Encyclopedias

Linguistics: Selected Encyclopedias

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the Language Sciences by Patrick Colm Hogan (2010)
"Includes basic entries for those unfamiliar with a given topic and more specific entries for those seeking more specialized knowledge." Access via Credo Reference. [See more books like this]
The Routledge Linguistics Encyclopedia by Kirsten Malmkjaer (2009)
"A single-volume encyclopedia covering all major and subsidiary areas of linguistics and applied linguistics." Access via Ebrary. [See more books like this]
The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language by David Crystal (2010)
"...a celebration of language in all its oddity, beauty, fun, astonishing complexity and limitless variety" London Review of Books. The Library has several editions of this book. [See more books like this]
The Routledge Pragmatics Encyclopedia by Louise Cummings, Editor (2010)
"Covers concepts and theories that have traditionally been associated with pragmatics, but also recent areas of development, influential scholars, interdisciplinary exchanges between pragmatics and other areas of enquiry and all major research trends." [See more books like this]

Language and Education: Selected Encyclopedias

Encyclopedia of Language and Education by Hornberger and King, Editor (2007)
Key reference to support research in language and education. Access via SpringerLink E-Books. [See more books like this]
Routledge Encyclopedia of Language Teaching and Learning by Byram and Brumfit, Editors (2001)
This authoritative A-Z resource hundreds of entries plus overview chapters on contemporary and historical language teaching. Access via EBSCOhost ebook collection. [See more books like this]
Encyclopedia of Bilingual Education by Josué M. González, Editor (2008)
Covers topics in bilingual education as it relates to schools, research centers, legislative bodies, advocacy organizations, and families. Access via Sage Publications. [See more books like this]
Encyclopedia of Language and Education by Ruth Wodak and David Corson, Editors (1998)
An 8-volume set covering language policy and political issues in education (v. 1), literacy (v. 2), oral discourse and education (v. 3), second language education (v. 4), bilingual education (v. 5), knowledge about language (v. 6), language testing and assessment (v. 7) and research methods in language and education (v.8). Available for borrowing. [See more books like this]
Routledge Encyclopedia of Second Language Acquistion by Peter Robinson, Editor (2012)
"[A] user-friendly, authoritative survey of terms and constructs that are important to understanding research in second language acquisition (SLA) and its applications." [More like this]

Communication Studies

The International Encyclopedia of Interpersonal Communication by Charles Berger (2016)
A comprehensive overview of the theories, concepts and processes that interpersonal communication researchers use to explain a wide variety of social interaction phenomena. From The Wiley Blackwell-ICA International Encyclopedias of Communication series. Access via Wiley Online Ebooks. [More like this]
The International Encyclopedia of Language and Social Interaction by Karen Tracy, Editor-in-Chief (2015)
A comprehensive overview of the theories, concepts and processes that interpersonal communication researchers use to explain a wide variety of social interaction phenomena. From The Wiley Blackwell-ICA International Encyclopedias of Communication series. Access via Wiley Online Ebooks. [More like this]
Language and Communication: A Cross-Cultural Encyclopedia by Michael Shaw Findlay (1998)
An illustrated, A-to-Z volume exploring how Western and non-Western traditions influence one another, providing insights into the sociocultural rules governing the use of language.

Translation Studies: Selected References

Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies by Baker and Saldanha (2011)
Access via MyiLibrary. [More like this]
Translation Studies Bibliography (TSB)
An annotated bibliography of the vast field of Translation and Interpreting Studies. Launched in 2004 and updated regularly. Access online.