Getting Started with Pre-Research
Systems Librarian
Why Conduct Background Research?
When we conduct background research, we are looking for explainers or overviews:
- To gain familiarity with your topic.
- To determine if your topic is searchable.
- not enough results? broaden your search.
- too many results? narrow your search.
- To provide historical and social context.
- To identify experts related to the topic.
- To learn additional keywords.
- look for synonyms or additional terms related to your topic.
- To find a starting point for your research.
Library Search Tools Like Wikipedia
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Covers every major subject, from art to medicine, psychology to history, and technology to literature. The award-winning titles in Credo Reference include general and subject encyclopedias, dictionaries, biographies, bibliographies, chronologies, handbooks, atlases, and more. Credo's collections are continuously updated to reflect the most relevant, up-to-date content.
- Gale eBooks This link opens in a new windowOffers a wide variety of full-text interdisciplinary content on virtually any subject area to tackle assignments, papers, projects and presentations. The database includes thousands of full-text proprietary titles from Gale and more than 80 strategic publishing partners, including the complete contents of Drama for Students, Epics for Students, Novels for Students, Poetry for Students, and Short Stories for Students.
- Salem Press Online This link opens in a new window
Selected e-books in literature, history, science & health. All books in this collection are also available in print in the Library.
- Search Everything This link opens in a new window
Search all of the Library's physical collection and most of its eresources.
Beginning Research with Wikipedia & Google
Watch this short video to learn about beginning your research with search tools you already know - Google and Wikipedia. Never cite Wikipedia in an academic paper, but use it for pre-research and background information to get familiar with your topic.
Click the image below to complete the Background Research Tips Tutorial to learn more about conducting background research.
