Gather background information on your topic:
- For contextual information about a topic, person, place, or an event
- To generate research ideas
- To help focus a topic
- For more resources that provide bibliographies – which will lead to additional books and articles
Encyclopedias & Handbooks: search topic keywords
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Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowOnline collection of over 800 reference titles, providing useful definitions, background information, quotations, images, and biographical information.
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Britannica Academic This link opens in a new windowThe online version of Britannica's encyclopedia, plus thousands of unique online articles, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (10th ed.), the Britannica Book of the Year, and more. Updated daily.
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Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new windowIn-depth, specialized titles from Oxford University Press’s award-winning Encyclopedias and Companions series, and a selection of partner publishers’ scholarly works.
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Sage E-Reference This link opens in a new windowReference titles covering a wide variety of subjects, including the humanities and social sciences.
- CQ Researcher provides original, authoritative reports on social and political issues written by journalists.
- Topics include public policy, law, civil liberties, international affairs, economics, health, education, the environment, technology, and more.
- CQ Researcher is known for objectivity, breadth, and depth of coverage.
Each report includes several key sections which can be helpful in understanding the background and complexity of contemporary issues. Reports include the following sections:
Overview of the Issue: background and contextual information
Current Situation: recent information as of when the report was published
Chronology: timeline of important events in this topic
Pro/Con Debate: presents complexity of a topic from multiple perspectives
Bibliography & Footnotes: further resources to explore