Research and Course Guides: Research in Education: Background Information

Introduction: Why Use Handbooks?

Handbooks contain short entries that summarize and define complex research and also highlights important scholars. Use handbooks to get background information, define theories, and find foundational scholars. Scholarly articles published in academic journals present a very small sliver of a large and often complex research topic, so handbooks can be an excellent way to get the bigger picture.

Handbook and Encyclopedia Databases

Use the below databases to search through thousands of encyclopedias and handbooks at once.

Routledge Handbooks This link opens in a new window
Routledge Handbooks Online brings together the world’s leading scholars to provide a cutting-edge overview of classic and current research.
Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Full-text encyclopedias and dictionaries.
Wiley Online Library This link opens in a new window
Wiley Online Library is a vast online library giving instant access to the most authoritative and up-to-date scholarship including complete reference works in multiple subjects

Annual Reviews

Annual Reviews provide comprehensive reviews of significant developments within a field of study. Use the below links to learn more about research, theory, and the application of principles.

Examples of Encyclopedias & Handbooks in Education

The Sage Handbook of Inclusion and Diversity in Education by Matthew J. Schuelka
ISBN: 152648594X
Publication Date: 2019
This handbook examines policy and practice from around the world with respect to broadly conceived notions of inclusion and diversity within education
The Handbook of Educational Theories by Beverly J. Irby
Publication Date: 2013
This title organizes each theory within a section which makes the volume an easy to use and an understandable reference tool as researchers and practitioners seek theories to guide their research and practice and as they develop theoretical frameworks.
Handbook of Educational Psychology and Students with Special Needs
Publication Date: 2020
Provides educational and psychological researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, and graduate students with critical expertise on the factors and processes relevant to learning for students with special needs.
The Wiley Handbook of Early Childhood Care and Education by Christopher P. Brown, Mary Benson McMullen & Nancy File
ISBN: 1119148073
Publication Date: 2019
Written for academic scholars, researchers, advocates, policymakers, and students of early childhood care and education, The Wiley Handbook of Early Childhood Care and Education is a comprehensive resource to the major issues for dealing with childhood care and education with contributions from noted scholars in the field.
The Wiley Handbook of Global Educational Reform by Kenneth J. Saltman and Alexander J. Means
Publication Date: 2018
The Wiley Handbook of Global Educational Reform examines educational reform from a global perspective. This title will be of great interest to scholars of education throughout the world as well as the policy makers.