Background Information
Step 2: Find Background Information
Background information gives you an understanding of your main concepts so that you can do your journal research more effectively. Here's how...
- Search your main ideas, events, or people individually using reference materials (dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc...see the boxes below for ideas),
(These first searches can be as simple as looking up the term hell in an encyclopedia for a specific religious tradition)
- And be sure to stay on the lookout for other useful keywords for in-depth article searching!
Credo Reference
Not sure about your topic and looking for ideas?
CREDO can be a great way to start - use the mind-map (it's clickable), or search through multiple encyclopedias at once.
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Over 600 reference books, including encyclopedias, dictionaries (English and foreign language), thesauri, books of quotations, as well as a range of subject-specific reference books.
Definitely use the subject-specialty encyclopedias!
Searching Encyclopedias
If the encyclopedia is in our CREDO Reference database, it will look like this...just type hell on the "Search within this title" search bar to find general information about hell in Buddhism. (That general information will lead you to more specific information, I promise!)
If the encyclopedia is a stand-alone e-book, it will look something like this...again, use the "Search within this title" search bar!
