Bilingual classroom, Scenic Hill Elementary School, Kent, Washington, 2014 (Source: flickr)
Encyclopedias and Handbooks provide basic overviews of topics as well as quick identifications of people, places, and events. These titles, like the ones listed below, are written and compiled by scholars who are experts in the field. Most of the articles and essays collected in the volumes have the added bonus of a list of recommended books and journal articles for further reading. This is a valuable starting point for your research.
A Companion to the History of the English Language by 
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The Handbook of Bilingual and Multilingual Education by This link opens in a new window
The Handbook of Hispanic Sociolinguistics This link opens in a new window
The Oxford Handbook of African American Language by 
This link opens in a new windowLiterature reviews are a particularly useful resource when doing research. They address the issues involved in a particular question and the debates among scholars. They map out the intellectual terrain succinctly and give you the major landmarks in terms of key authors and significant titles for greater understanding.
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