Finding Background Information
A starting point for your research.
Encyclopedias, books, news sources, popular magazines, and search engines can lead you to articles that will be helpful in narrowing down your topic and finding additional keywords to search. When using an encyclopedia, read through an article's bibliography or references section to identify scholarly books and articles that may relate to your topic.
The sources you initially find as you begin your research may not be the best to cite -- instead, use the background knowledge you build from these sources to deepen your understanding of the topic. You might examine different aspects of your topic or make note of the academic language used by scholars who write on your topic. Add new terms to the word bank that you will use to search for credible and scholarly sources later on.
In this stage of research, you can also develop your research topic by narrowing your focus, and fine-tuning your thesis statement.
Searchable databases
- Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
An online library of hundreds of reference titles for multi-disciplinary research, including texts related to American and world history, biography, health, arts, business, travel, religion, and multicultural studies. - Oxford Research Encyclopedias This link opens in a new window
Current, peer-reviewed research from more than 25 encylcopedias. This includes the Encyclopedia of Social Work and the Oxford Classical Dictionary. - Very Short Introductions This link opens in a new window
Concise introductions to a diverse range of subject areas written by experts in the field. Browsable subject areas include Arts & Humanities, Law, Medicine & Health, Science & Mathematics, and Social Sciences. - UDiscover This link opens in a new window
A search tool that lets you retrieve all types of research sources with one search. If you're looking for a variety of sources on your topic, or you're just getting started, UDiscover can help you access more information at once than ever before. It has a Google-like relevancy ranking, but helps you locate scholarly resources. - Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Large database of citations from papers, reports and books.
Examples of Encyclopedias
Folktales and Fairy Tales by ISBN: 9781610692540Publication Date: 2016-02-12Encyclopedic in its coverage, this one-of-a-kind reference is ideal for students, scholars, and others who need reliable, up-to-date information on folk and fairy tales, past and present. * Provides encyclopedic coverage of folktales and fairy tales from around the globe * Covers not only the history of the fairy tale, but also topics of contemporary importance such as the fairy tale in manga, television, pop music, and music videos * Brings together the study of geography, culture, history, and anthropology * Revises and expands an award-winning work to now include a full volume of selected tales and texts
Oxford research encyclopedias. Literature by ISBN: 9780190201098Publication Date: 2015"Started in 2015 [...] the project has quickly grown to host over 400 articles by renowned writers, critics, and scholars from all over the globe. [...] the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature aims to map, over time, the world's entire landscape of literary expressions and criticism, weaving together the various fields and approaches that make up literature in its broadest sense. [...] Peer-reviewed and frequently updated, articles have the opportunity to feature a wide array of multimedia resources, including audio-visual materials, links to digital archives, and other pedagogical tools." --Word from Oxford page
