Research Toolkit: 4: Find Background Information

| Online Reference Resource Guide | More Tips |

Start out looking for basic background information on your topic. Use general reference sources such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, biographies, or almanacs to get a general introduction to your topic and the key terms used to describe the topic.

Key terms might include synonyms for the topic, or broader terms that would include the topic or appropriate subtopics.

Here's a simple example: topic is ice cream; so you should look for information under search terms such as frozen desserts, dairy products, sherbet, etc. Remember that online card catalogs and article databases search by subject term or keyword. Check out the Subject/Keyword Tutorial.

"Jinan" by Walt Stoneburner
is in the Public Domain

A Guide to Using Online Reference Resources:

The table below can help you use different online reference resources to find relevant background information. The Online Reference Resources page has a wide variety of resources to help you.

More Tips on Finding Background Information:

1. Read background information and note any useful sources (books, journals, newspapers, web sites, etc.) listed in the bibliography at the end of the encyclopedia article or dictionary entry. These sources are good starting points for further research.
    
2. Once you have a list of sources, the next step is to get them and do some reading. Search the online catalog at your home college library or check out the article databases. (See Step 5/Find High Quality Resources for more information.)
    
3. As you are searching the databases or online catalog, keep track of the different subject terms that are listed on each item's record. Write those down and try a search with those terms to see what you find.
    
4. Exploit bibliographies - check the bibliographies in the books and journals you decide might be useful for your paper; you may find additional relevant resources for your research.