1b. Find Background Information
Get an Overview
Background research in reference works, especially encyclopedias, will give you an overview of your topic so you can select the direction of your research and choose specific research questions.
Virtual Reference
Digital Reference Texts
Full-text resources in Gale eBooks include:
- Encyclopedia of Contemporary American Social Issues
Covers the most critical issues facing American society today. Topic range from biotechnology to identity theft, from racial profiling to corporate governance, from school choice to food safety.
- Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia
Introduces food culture from numerous countries and cultures around the world, including some from remote and unexpected peoples and places.
- World History Encyclopedia
Focuses on specific themes of human development across cultures era by era, providing the most in-depth, expansive presentation available of the development of humanity from a global perspective.
- Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life
Covers cultural groups in Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Africa. Each volume is organized by continent, covering history, politics, customs, religion, education, human rights issues, teen life, and more.
Reference works can:
Provides a good overview of the subject matter.
Help you identify facts related to your topic—terminology, dates, events, and names or organizations.
Alert you to key issues and controversies.
Give you a sense of how your topic relates to other topics.
Help you refine your topic.
Introduce you to the specialized vocabulary of your topic.
Direct you to other sources on your topic.
Specialized Resources
Some reference works are dedicated to a specific topic.
Specialized
Dictionaries
Dictionaries dedicated to a particular field of study can:
Define specialized or technical vocabulary.
Provide definitional essays associated with the vocabulary, similar to an encyclopedia article.
Specialized
Encyclopedias
These encyclopedias feature articles:
On specific topics within a particular area.
Written by experts in the field.
That provide bibliographies of other sources.
That contain cross-references to related topics.
That introduce and explain specialized vocabulary.
About Wikipedia
Wikipedia can deliver general information and will sometimes cite high-quality sources.
However, because it is crowdsourced, Wikipedia is not itself reliable. Do not cite it in a paper. Consider the following:
An oft-cited article in the journal Nature (Giles, ) claims that Wikipedia is as accurate as Encyclopædia Britannica.
But while this claim has been widely touted in popular media, there is more to the story: As Kolbe () explains, the Nature piece, which is not a peer-reviewed study, only compares articles on obscure scientific subjects. On Wikipedia, such technical articles are more likely to be written and edited only by specialists. By contrast, all articles in Encyclopædia Britannica are written by specialists.
Furthermore, Nature’s interpretation of its own study is debatable: As Orlowski () notes, the Nature study actually indicates that Wikipedia has 31% more errors than Britannica. Carr () examined the Nature study more closely and found that it ignored the most egregious errors in Wikipedia. The Encyclopædia Britannica itself () has even weighed in on this debate, calling the Nature article fatally flawed.
As a rule of thumb, the more contentious a subject is, especially if it is related to current events, the more likely a Wikipedia article is to be biased, erroneous, or deliberately omissive. Information from Wikipedia should be used cautiously if at all.
See these sources:
- “Wikipedia Is Badly Biased”
An article by Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger, who argues that Wikipedia has abandoned its neutrality policy and become heavily slanted.
- Wikipediocracy
We exist to shine the light of scrutiny into the dark crevices of Wikipedia and its related projects; to examine the corruption there, along with its structural flaws; and to inoculate the unsuspecting public against the torrent of misinformation, defamation, and general nonsense that issues forth from one of the world’s most frequently visited websites, the
encyclopedia that anyone can edit.
Reference Databases
These research databases contain full-text reference works.
Their content includes encyclopedias and specialized dictionaries but may also include journal articles and other sources.
General Reference
- Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
For students and adults alike, the Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia database indexes over 25,000 records, covering an array of topics.
- Oxford English Dictionary Online
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is widely regarded as the accepted authority on the English language. It is an unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of 600,000 words—past and present—from across the English-speaking world.
Legal & Business Information
- Legal Information Reference Center
In addition to 225 full-text journals, this database features full-text legal reference books from the organization Nolo.
- Small Business Reference Center
This databases contains over 450 reference books related to business.
English & Literature
- Gale Literature Resource Center
In addition to full-text short stories, plays, poems, and articles on literature, the Gale Literature Resource Center offers access to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary and Merriam-Webster’s Encyclopedia of Literature.
- Poetry & Short Story Reference Center
In addition to full-text stories and poems as well as critical essays, this database contains articles from reference works on poetry and literature.
Health & Psychology
- Consumer Health Reference eBook Collection
This ebook reference collection offers a rich selection of eBook titles covering a broad range of general health topics including cancer and diabetes; weight management and exercise; allergies; senior care; social–emotional health; developmental disorders; and natural health.
- Mental Measurements Yearbook with Tests in Print
Produced by the Buros Center for Testing at the University of Nebraska, the Mental Measurements Yearbook (MMY) provides users with a comprehensive guide to thousands of contemporary testing instruments.
Home & Craft
- Hobbies & Crafts Reference Center
Intended for public libraries, this database dedicated to home improvement and repair includes full-text reference works.
- Home Improvement Reference Center
Intended for public libraries, this database dedicated to home improvement and repair includes full-text reference works.
Schools & Public Libraries
- MAS Complete
Although designed for high schools, MAS Complete includes the contents of 440 full-text reference books that may be useful for beginning research or quick overviews of subjects.
- MAS Reference eBook Collection
This eBook reference collection offers a rich selection of eBook titles covering a broad range of general reference subjects for high-school students.
- MasterFILE Complete
Designed for public libraries, MasterFILE Premier includes the full text of 500 reference books that may be useful for general information or beginning research.
- MasterFILE Reference eBook Collection
This eBook reference collection offers a rich selection of eBook titles covering a broad range of general reference subjects.
- Middle Search Reference eBook Collection
This eBook reference collection offers a rich selection of eBook titles covering a broad range of general reference subjects for middle-school students. Topics include social studies, math, history, language arts, technology, geography, culture, and science.
- Primary Search Reference eBook Collection
This eBook reference collection offers a rich selection of eBook titles covering a broad range of general reference subjects for primary-school students. Topics include social studies, history, language arts, geography, culture, math, and science.