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U.S. Social Justice & Reform Movements

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

Finding Background Sources- Credo Reference

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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.

The library subscribes to many other Reference databases which may be useful in finding background information, in addition to Credo Reference.

Credo Basic Search Video