Thousands of Reliable Full-Text Biographies

Biography Reference Source provides superior coverage for several of the most popular and heavily researched biographies and genres, including those contained within Biography Today and Biography (both dating back to the first issue published).

Sources Include

  • Biography Today's complete collection
  • Biography's complete collection
  • Congressional biographies from the American Reference Library
  • Biographies from Encyclopædia Britannica
  • Harvard University Press: Notable American Women, a Biographical Dictionary (Vols. 1-5)
  • Profiles of United States presidents
  • Biographies from Salem Press

Biography Reference eBook Collection

The Biography Reference eBook Collection is offered as a companion to Biography Reference Source, containing reference books from top educational publishers and presses. This encompasses a rich selection of biographic titles, covering popular and important figures in business, film, history, music, politics, sports and more.

Intuitive User Experience

Available through Explora, Biography Reference Source offers a variety of features and functionality to support research success and productivity. In addition to simple and advanced search options and powerful filters, researchers have the ability to explore topics by category, including artists, athletes, explorers and pioneers, historical figures, inventors, musicians, politicians, scientists and more.

Each category breaks down into popular, colloquial or curriculum-based subtopics that are logical for all users and friendlier to younger or novice researchers. Clicking on the subtopic brings the user to a page with a topic overview, related subtopics and overview articles, sample search results (with the option to view all results) and a carousel of relevant e-books (if available).

Results can be limited by reading level indicators (Lexiles) and source types that include concise and detailed biographies, interviews, obituaries and related articles. Users can also limit search results by occupation. 

Visit the Explora page to learn about additional interface features, functionality and integrations.