Background Research

Why is background research important?  Using background information sources will help you gain a clearer understanding of your topic and help you develop an outline for your paper.

Overview sources provide a historical perspective on a topic when beginning your research. Usually written by "experts" in a field, these sources consist of short articles which include pertinent background information.  They contain summaries, & often chronologies of a topic, describe how it fits in the broader context of research, discuss up-to-date information on current developments in the field, key trends, etc, and often gives an overview of key issues that you can explore. 

Background research can help you:

1.  Narrow your topic. Background resources often divide information into smaller sub-topics. For example, your topic might divide nicely by geographical location,
     economic, political, philosophical or psychological emphasis.

2.  Identify the key researchers, or key people associated with your topic.  You can then use the library catalog or a database to locate books or articles written by
     these researchers or use a biographical source to find out more information.

3.  Discover the unique, distinctive or new terminology associated with your topic to use when researching. 

4.  Identify additional reference works on your topic. Note down any useful sources such as books, journals etc listed in the bibliography at the end of the article.  Look
    up these sources in our catalog.  Note down the subject headings listed in the subject field of the online record.  Click on this hyperlink and do subject searches to
    find materials on that topic.

Key sources to use in background research

The most common background sources are filed in the reference area of our library.  They include the following:

a) Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

1. General Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

Encyclopedias cover all branches of knowledge and therefore are likely to have some information on the topic you are researching.  They provide a good overview of your topic and should be considered as starting places for gathering general information and as a springboard for further research. To find general encyclopedias use the subject heading search for "Encyclopedias and dictionaries" in the library catalog.  Make sure to limit your search to ones in reference (which provides you with recent material) or restrict it to ones published in the last decade.   Most will be found in the A Call number area.  They often provide a short bibliography of other sources. 
Suggested encyclopedias include:

The New Encyclopedia Britannica  AE5.E363 2007  Haggard 2 Reference
Encyclopedia Americana AE5 .E333 1999 Haggard 2 Reference

Britannica online
Oxford Reference Online - a selection of over 100 encyclopedias, dictionaries and other reference titles across the full subject spectrum, which can be searched individually or as a whole.

Dictionaries define terminology in the context of how words or concepts are used within a subject discipline, which will influence the focus of how a topic is developed and the types of information you find.  For example: the term "organizational behavior" will be interpreted differently within the business community, by psychologists, and by sociologists. To find a dictionary, try a subject search in the online catalog for "English language - dictionaries". 

          Examples of a general dictionary would be:

The Oxford American college dictionary PE1628.O8614 2002 Haggard 2 Reference
Webster's II new college dictionary.  PE1628.W55164 1995 Haggard 2 Reference

2. Specialized Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Specialized encyclopedias provide comprehensive introductions to subjects, present material objectively, and provide historical background & context, as well as discussion of trends.

To learn more, refer to the page How to Locate Specialized Dictionaries and Encyclopedias - Tools for Jump Starting Your Library Research.

b) Biographical Sources

Use biographical sources to identify and collect background information on key people associated with your topic - refer to the following pages to learn more:

• Locating Biographical Information in the Western Libraries

• Locating Historical Biography 

• Biography and Genealogy Master Index (BGMI)

c) Almanacs

Almanacs are general fact books and compendiums of miscellaneous information.  They compile brief information, and often include biographical information and statistics, charts and tables that provide good background information.  To find an almanac, do a subject heading search using the word  "Almanacs".  Some good standard almanacs include:

World Almanac and Book of Facts AY67.N5 W7 Haggard 2 Reference
Time Almanac (abridged edition) online

Sometimes a field of study has a specialized almanac.  The Almanac of American Politics or the The Almanac Of Women And Minorities In World Politics are examples of almanacs with a narrower or subject specific focus. To find a specialized almanac, try a keyword search almanacs and (add your topic word here).

d) Bibliographies

These are compendiums of citations (sometimes with annotations) to books, journal articles, conference papers, dissertations, reports, and so on, on particular subjects. They are especially important in historical or literary research, as they frequently include reference to works that are overlooked by computer databases. Their arrangement, too, often provides an overview of the structure of a topic and help you narrow your topic. To find a bibliography on your topic do key word search for your topic plus the term "bibliography" as a subject term.  (e.g.. bibliography and labor)

e) Guides to the literature

The literature of any subject area may be thought of in terms of different levels. Primary literature deals directly with a particular problem or concern, presenting original testimony or insights about it or creative expression of it. Secondary literature generally comprises both scholarly analysis and popularization’s of the primary literature. Tertiary literature consists of reference works (the various types of literature: dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, etc.) that identify, point out, summarize, abstract, or repackage the information provided by the other two levels. Guides to the literature ideally seek to provide an intellectual structure that orients a researcher to the most important sources at all three levels of literature for a given subject.. In practice, however, many such "guides" fall short of this mark, and present instead an overview of only the tertiary reference literature for their field.

f) Reviews of Research

Reviews of Research list and summarize current research in a field, and example is the Annual Reviews Online: Series.

g) Handbooks

Handbooks contain concise factual overview information with a more directed focus on a particular topic, such as the Handbook Of Abnormal Psychology, Handbook Of Environmental Sociology, or the Handbook Of Native American Literature. They provide the principles, historic background and important facts of a subject area, with emphasis on the practices, procedures, and other "how-to" directions for producing actual results rather than just intellectual understanding. Handbooks can be found in the catalog by doing a subject heading search for your topic plus the term "handbooks".

h) Yearbooks

Yearbooks present current summaries of events, developments, research discoveries, and/or annual statistics.  The Britannica Yearbook provides an overview of the state-of-the-world, demographic statistics by country, as well as comparative data on topics such as literacy, human rights, etc.

i) Information Services

Information Services provide up-to-date and briefly stated information, examples include:
 The CQ Researcher Ref. H35.C67, and Editorials on File   Ref. D839.E3