Sources of Background Information
Background research is often needed when you are getting started on a topic and need an overview or when you encounter terms or events that you need to learn more about as your research progresses. Examples of sources for background information are-
- Encyclopedias
- Bibliographies
- Indexes
- Textbooks
- Book reviews
- Other reference resources
Bibliography Mining
If someone has already done research on a topic you are investigating you are encouraged to seek out the same sources. Sometimes you may find an abundant amount of material that wasn't important to them, but is perfect for you. Other times you may find you disagree with their interpretation, which will give you something to write about from a fresh perspective.
Theses and dissertations are a great place to find bibliographies (sometimes called literature reviews) Many can be found in this database-
- Dissertations & Theses Global This link opens in a new windowMulti-subject. World's largest collection of full text theses and dissertations. Contains 1.7 million full-text graduate works and 3.8 million abstracted or indexed records along with the ability to cross-search with other ProQuest resources. Coverage: 1861 to present
- Google Scholar This link opens in a new windowSearches scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts, and technical reports.
Finding Background Sources- Credo Reference
Credo Reference helps you start your research in American history with timelines, histories of the US as a whole and by state or region, and introductions to key historical events.
NOTE- Credo Reference has a link to JSTOR database, which is a great source for scholarly secondary sources.
Also-
The library subscibes to many other databases which may be useful in finding background information, in addtion to Credo Reference
List of library databases containing resources for background information