Find Background Information
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 the article's bibliography or references section to identify scholarly books and articles related to your topic.
You typically will not cite the sources you find as you begin your research. Use the background knowledge you build from these sources to develop your understanding of the language used by people discussing your topic. Add this vocabulary to a word bank you will use to search for credible and scholarly sources later on.
- 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.
- World Book Advanced This link opens in a new window
Contains full text World Book Encyclopedia articles. Text in English, French & Spanish. Also contains primary source collections, educator tools, student activities, images, audio, & video.
