Variant Names — Make note of and search for various spellings, nicknames, and transliterated or anglicized names (e.g., Rachmaninoff OR Rachmaninov for Рахманинов).
Other key facts about a person can help you find more information about them.
Some biographical reference sources focus on specific times, places, or characteristics, including:
Time Period — During which the person lived & worked, e.g., Renaissance, 17th Century.
Country or Region — Where the person lived, e.g., Japan, Southeast Asia, Pacific Rim.
Occupation -—Including various ways to describe their occupation or field, e.g., lawyer, attorney, painter, cinema.
Characteristics — Such as ethnicity, gender, genre, etc., e.g., black, women, post-modern, expressionist.
Biography — About a person.
Bibliography — List of sources of information, such as articles and books.
Autobiography — A biography written by the person it's about.
Contemporary — About living people (at the time of publication).
Historical — About people no longer living.
Works — Compositions, performances, recordings, etc.
Signed — Articles with a named author.
These have information on people from around the world and over long periods of time.
Britannica Biographies
Dictionary of World Biography, 8th ed. by 
Windward Community College Library
