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Explore
The Explore feature is a means of filtering and browsing chapters and entries included in Blackwell Reference Online according to the subject, place, period, people and/or key topics that they cover. This feature can be accessed by clicking Explore in the main navigation bar, in the top pane of any page of the site.
Pages within the Explore feature include three panes with the following headings:
Choose your topics
On the left-hand side of the Explore page is a column from which you can choose the topic(s) that you would like to explore. Options are grouped under the headings Subject, Place, Period, People and Key Topics.
A symbol to the left of a topic indicates that it has sub-topics that can be displayed by clicking the box. Click
next to a topic to hide its sub-topics.
A symbol next to a topic indicates that it has no sub-topics.
To make a selection, click the » link to the right of a topic or sub-topic. Continue choosing further topics until you are ready to explore the chapters and entries that match your selection.
When you choose a topic, the list of topics that remain available for selection is revised to reflect your previous choices. For example, if you choose the subject ‘Anthropology’ and the place ‘Americas’, the period ‘1000 - 1999’ will no longer be available for selection if there are no chapters or entries that match all three topics.
The figure in parentheses next to a topic indicates the number of chapters or entries available for that topic (in combination with any other topics you have chosen).
Choose People or Key Topics
If the list of available people or key topics is too long to appear in the left-hand column, a Please Select ... instruction will be displayed. Click » to display a full list of topics in the main body of the page, grouped alphabetically. Select a person or key topic from the list to return to the normal Explore view, where you will be able to choose additional topics or explore chapters.
Your chosen topics
A pane at the top of the left-hand column provides a running summary of the topics you have chosen to explore (in the current session). Initially the pane displays No Selections.
If you wish to remove a previously chosen topic from the selection, click the « button to the right of the topic.
If you wish to remove all previously chosen topics (i.e. start exploring again from scratch), click ⊗ Clear All Selections.
The Explore pane
The main pane of Explore pages displays an alphabetical list of available chapters and entries. Initially a complete list of chapters is displayed, but as you choose topics the list is revised to match your selections.
Each item in the list includes:
- The chapter title.
- An excerpt of text from the start of the chapter.
- The author(s) of the chapter.
- The title of the book in which the chapter appears (which links to the Title Information page for that book).
To view the full text of a chapter, click on the chapter title.