BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Search Strategies and Tips

Ways biographical information is gathered/compiled

1. profession (authors, physicists, politicians)
2. nationality or region (American, Chinese, British, African)
3. race or gender (African Americans, American women)
4. date flourished (medieval women, nineteenth century inventors -- try to determine whether the individual is living or dead)

Kinds of biographical sources

1. biographical index -- leads to journal articles, compilations of biographical facts in other sources. Does not contain the actual biographical information.

2. biographical dictionary -- limited, basic information about an individual. Can be a single book, a multi-volume set, or an annual. Sometimes contains pictures and lists location of papers and a bibliography.

3. biography -- full length book or very long chapter. Usually found through using an online catalog. Use the individual’s name as a subject.

When all of the logical and some of the illogical sources fail to locate any information about an individual try the following:

1) Check the individuals name on OhioLink or Worldcat. Perhaps you have misspelled the name or the name is indexed differently than you anticipated-- is it Mark Twain, Marc Twane or Samuel Clemens. Also, Worldcat will sometimes confirm the birth/death dates.

2) Try encyclopedias, both English language and foreign language, if applicable, and general and specialized.

3) Check the citation indexes. Many times these will at least give an address to contact the individual or identify them with an institution or a university, etc.

4) Look in the major newspaper indexes such as the New York Times, The London Times, The Christian Science Monitor and The Wall Street Journal. Articles in here may not be referenced anywhere else.

5) Search through the book review sources. Sometimes basic biographical information will be supplied in a review.

6) If applicable, look through the Encyclopedia of Associations (name index).

7) Find out what field the person is working in and check for a membership directory, such as the American Psychological Association, etc.

8) Look at other books written by the same author, perhaps a biographical blurb will be on the book jacket or at the end of the book.

9) Realize that everyone will only be famous for 15 minutes and may not make it into any standard (or substandard) resource.