An overview of your topic area helps you understand...
Your library also has library databases that can provide excellent background information on a variety of topics.
Background sources largely give general information about a topic. For example, take the topic the history of tobacco advertising. If your paper is about cigarette marketing to adolescents, it is important that you understand something about the history of tobacco advertising in general.
The same is true for anything else: If your paper is about ______, it is important that you understand something about the history of ______.
Consider using the library's reference books and resources for this purpose. The library holds many print specialty encyclopedias and electronic encyclopedias. Use the following steps to help you find them.
Start at the library catalog, linked below, to start your search for reference books and background info.
Type in keywords related to your topic. To find reference books, also add a keyword like "encyclopedia" in the search box
Double-check if the reference book is an e-book (electronic) or in print and available in your library's reference collection.
You often need to think of the many resources that would discuss your topic. In this case, an encyclopedia about children and media would likely have something about advertising and children, or tobacco advertising and children. So you could another search in the library catalog for: media children encyclopedia
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