Oxford Bibliographies Online (OBO), also known as Oxford Bibliographies, is a web-based

compendium A compendium (plural: compendia or compendiums) is a comprehensive collection of information and analysis pertaining to a body of knowledge. A compendium may concisely summarize a larger work. In most cases, the body of knowledge will concern a sp ...

of peer-reviewed annotated bibliographies and short encyclopedia entries maintained by

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

History

Oxford Bibliographies Online launched in 2010 following 18 months of research by Oxford University Press (OUP) on the way students and scholars accessed information. According to OUP, learning on a new topic was often hampered and confused by an overabundance of information that left people without a clear starting point. The launch version of Oxford Bibliographies Online covered four subject areas – Classics, Social Work,

Islamic Studies Islamic studies refers to the academic study of Islam, and generally to academic multidisciplinary "studies" programs—programs similar to others that focus on the history, texts and theologies of other religious traditions, such as Easter ...

, and Criminology – and cost US$29.95 per month to access for institutional subscribers. By 2017 it had grown to more than 30 subject areas. At its debut, it was described as "an Anti-Google" and a more authoritative and trustworthy alternative to "

crowdsourced Crowdsourcing involves a large group of dispersed participants contributing or producing goods or services—including ideas, votes, micro-tasks, and finances—for payment or as volunteers. Contemporary crowdsourcing often involves digit ...

knowledge repositories like

Wikipedia Wikipedia is a multilingual free online encyclopedia written and maintained by a community of volunteers, known as Wikipedians, through open collaboration and using a wiki-based editing system. Wikipedia is the largest and most-read refer ...

Organization

Oxford Bibliographies Online is divided into several dozen subject areas, each curated by an editor-in-chief and an editorial board composed of "15 to 20" scholars of that subject. Subject areas are, in turn, divided into an expanding number of entries, each of which is authored by a member of the editorial board and subject to a process of peer review. Each entry provides a brief, encyclopedic overview of a given subject, followed by an annotated bibliography of the key literature on that topic. According to Oxford University Press, entries are reviewed annually and updated as necessary. New entries are added monthly.

Access

Libraries can selectively subscribe to all or certain subject areas, allowing their patrons to access those sections to which the institution has purchased a subscription. In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, for instance, public library patrons can access the

Victorian Literature Victorian literature refers to English literature during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901). The 19th century is considered by some to be the Golden Age of English Literature, especially for British novels. It was in the Victorian era tha ...

and

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and

Irish Literature Irish literature comprises writings in the Irish, Latin, English and Scots ( Ulster Scots) languages on the island of Ireland. The earliest recorded Irish writing dates from the 7th century and was produced by monks writing in both Latin a ...

subject areas of Oxford Bibliographies Online by using their

library card A library card can refer to several cards traditionally used for the management of books and patrons in a library. In its most common use, a library card serves similar functions as a corporate membership card. A person who holds a library card ...

as a log-on credential if their library subscribes. According to Oxford University Press, pricing is based on the size and type of the library.

References

External links

Official site
{{Use dmy dates, date=July 2017 Oxford University Press British online encyclopedias 2010 establishments in England

History

Organization

Access

See also

References

External links