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Asian Studies: Topical Overviews

Last Updated: Jan 8, 2024 3:30 PM

Encyclopedias, Directories, Handbooks

Why use an encyclopedia?

1.  To relatively quickly acquire an authoritative overview of a topic.

2.   As an aid to building a bibliography, that is, finding other sources to explore.

Wikipedia -- Useful as a Beginning But NEVER as an End

Wikipedia can be a very useful starting point but never an endpoint.  Be sure to corroborate Wikipedia information with information found in more predictable sources. Wikipedia portals are listed below, portals aggregate entries topically.  You may get ideas for research topics by visiting them.  The best way to search for entries/information though is simply by performing a Google search: include the term Wikipedia and the topic; for instance, Wikipedia Japan.  "And" is not necessary -- it is assumed by Wikipedia.