Learning resources

Welcome to the learning resources section of the online Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Here you will find a range of materials to aid teachers, lecturers, and students wishing to use the online Oxford DNB in lesson planning, essay writing, project work, and research in secondary and tertiary education.

In brief: What is the Oxford DNB?

• the Oxford DNB is a unique collection of concise and authoritative essays on more than 56,000 men and women who shaped British life between the 4th century BC and the year 2004. The 56,000 biographies are written by 10,000 specialist authors worldwide and peer reviewed by expert scholars overseen by academic editors at the University of Oxford. The dictionary is published in print (60 volumes) and online (www.oxforddnb.com) by Oxford University Press.


• the Oxford DNB is a source of reliable and up-to-date information on the people who left their mark on Britain's past. And because of its breadth, the dictionary isn't just for people studying history or life in the British Isles: for example, there's comprehensive coverage of writers and artists, and those who shaped the history of the British empire and the wider world.


• in addition to its 56,000 biographies the Oxford DNB includes an online ‘companion guide’ to British history, known as 'Themes'. ODNB themes are ideal for fact checking, quick problem solving, and learning more about well-known events and topics in history.


• first published in print (60 vols.) and online in 2004, the online edition is updated with new biographies and reference material three times each year.


• the online Oxford DNB is available in university and public libraries across Britain, and in many more institutions worldwide. The Oxford DNB is also fully accredited by Curriculum Online and is available for institutional trials.


• alongside the main Dictionary, which you need a personal or institutional subscription to access, the Free Oxford DNB area offers topical content, in the form of a daily life, biography podcast, a monthly online magazine, and Themes on permanent open shelves.

To help you find what you want we've divided the Learning Resources area into three sections. Just click on a link to see how the online Oxford DNB can be used for lesson planning, background reading, and research.

Secondary education: GCSE key stages 3 and 4

Secondary education: AS and A-Level

Tertiary education: further education and university

Getting access to the complete Oxford DNB

If your school, college or university already subscribes to the Oxford DNB you can get access to all 56,000 biographies, and Themes, through your institution's link.

If not, you can see more content at Free Oxford DNB: here you'll find a gallery of lives of the week, regular biography podcast, monthly magazine and a topical reading room of people in history.

If you'd like information on getting a free trial of the Oxford DNB for your school or college please go to www.oup.com/online/odnb/ or contact onlineproducts@oup.com.

Don't forget: in the UK you can get personal access to the full Oxford DNB online via most public libraries; remote log-ins allow library members to read the Oxford DNB at home for free.