Research Guides: Background Information: Overview

Find Quick Overviews and Definitions

Conduct a keyword search in Library Search.
Look on the left for "Refine my results" on the search results page.
Scroll down to "Resource Type" and click on "Show More," to see more than the first few entries.
Select "Reference Entries" (if available).
Then, "Apply Filters."

Find In-Depth Background Sources

Specialized encyclopedias, handbooks, or bibliographies are reference materials written by scholars that can offer foundational understanding and cited sources on scholarly topics.

Run this preset search in Advanced Search, where it searches for: dictionar* OR encyclopedia* OR handbook* OR companion in the Title of the items.
In the next line, type in your topic as a keyword or phrase. Keep your keywords relatively broad.
Select Search again.

Recommended Resources

Cambridge Companions Complete Collection This link opens in a new window
Cambridge Companions on Literature, Classics, Philosophy, Religion, Culture, & Music
CQ Researcher Plus Archive This link opens in a new window
Substantive, non-biased, well-researched discussions of timely topics & issues
Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints This link opens in a new window
Covering social issues, this cross-curricular research database supports science, social studies, current events, and language arts classes.
Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new window
A database of encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research.
Oxford Bibliographies This link opens in a new window
Gives background information and provides citations for the best available scholarship across a wide variety of subjects.
Reference Universe This link opens in a new window
Identifies reference works based on your keywords.

Wikipedia
Often a good place to get started. However, since it's not authoritative or 100% reliable, it's not a place to stop looking. Make sure to look at the references.

Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics
For any topic involving ethics (advertising, human rights, police & race relations), this gives great info.

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Why Use Background Information?

Background sources can

Help you see the big picture and contextualize your topic
Give you a better idea of where to start your research
Provide an introduction to vocabulary and ideas you'll need to know
Refer you to other sources