This guide has been adapted from the "Medieval and Renaissance Studies" guide curated and managed by the European Studies Section (ESS) of the Association of College & Research Libraries.
Before conducting in-depth research, it is important to gather information you have about your topic and consider what you still need to know. This can include dates, places, terminology, and names of persons/entities involved in events or phenomenon you’re studying. Reference tools like dictionaries, encyclopedias, and handbooks are useful for this preliminary research phase.