Step 1: Biographical Research
Getting Started
You will start your research by finding out more information about the person you have chosen. You can start by finding biographical information about the person to get to know them a little better.
Biography vs. Autobiography vs. Memoir
A biography is a detailed history of a person's life. It usually includes information about when and where the person was born, their family life, major accomplishments, and why the person is significant.
An autobiography is basically a biography that is written by that person. They tell the story of their own life in their own words.
A memoir is a collection of memories and stories about a person's life, written by that person. The difference between a memoir and an autobiography is that an autobiography will tell the entire story of a person's life, whereas a memoir might just tell a few selected stories/memories - often on a theme.
Search the Library's Biography Databases
- Biography (Gale In Context) This link opens in a new window
(GALE) Profiles figures from all time periods and areas of study. Includes biographies, videos, audio selections, images, primary sources, and magazine and journal articles from hundreds of major periodicals and newspapers. Search for people based on name, occupation, nationality, ethnicity, birth/death dates and places, or gender, as well as by keyword and full text.
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
(Credo) Includes materials from over 650 full-text reference books on a variety of topics in higher education, including art, business, history, languages, literature, science, criminal justice, and political science.
- Oxford Art Online (includes Grove Art) This link opens in a new window
(Oxford University Press) Full-text art reference (including Grove Art) covering all the visual arts from prehistory to the present with links to 5,000 images the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), Art Images for College Teaching (AICT), and the Artists Rights Society and text from Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, The Oxford Companion to Western Art, and The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms.
- Literature Resource Center (Gale) This link opens in a new window
(GALE) Full-text journal articles, critical essays, work overviews & summaries, and author biographies from authoritative sources. Note: for Biographies, use the Person Search and filter results to Biographies.
Off-Campus Library Database Access
For off-campus access to the library databases, you will need to enter either your 14-digit library barcode from the back of your LSC student ID card or sign in with your MyLoneStar email address and password.
Don't have a 14-digit library barcode? Request one online. Your library barcode will be emailed to your LSC email address within 48 hours.
