Introduction to College Research: Finding Background Knowledge

A reference book is used primarily to supply background information on a particular topic. They are often produced by experts in a particular field and are not intended to be read from cover-to-cover: instead, you can find an entry in the reference book that mentions your topic and just read that entry. Most reference books will have an index in the back of the book that will allow you find out on which page your topic would be.

Examples of reference books include dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, and handbooks.

Reference books are found in the Reference Collection, or the green-labeled shelves in the library. You cannot check out reference books from the library, but you can look at them for as long as you are in the library, and you may take photo-copies of reference books. 

The library has access to many online encyclopedias. Online encyclopedia articles are a great way to find out more information about a topic you don't know much about. You can use the search bar to look for articles on the topic you are interested in. Many of the print books in our reference section, are also available online through Gale eBooks (Reference eBooks).

Click on the picture below to get started. You may be asked to enter your BC email address and password. 

Background information is very useful when narrowing down your topic, or when first learning about your topic. Background research (or pre-search!) is the first step in the research process. Getting background information on your topic allows you to learn enough about your topic to decide which specific aspect of that topic you wish to focus on, and gives you enough information about your topic for you to be able to talk about your topic for about a minute without repeating yourself.

The best way to complete background research is to use a reference book!

The most famous of all encyclopedias is Wikipedia. Can't use Wikipedia, you say?! Wikipedia is a great place to gain background knowledge of a topic. You can use it for pre-research but NOT as a resource. Here is a great video from North Carolina State University that tells you more about Wikipedia. 

 There is a right way and wrong way to use Wikipedia.

DO

• Do use to become familiar with a topic - Wikipedia is a great place to answer the who, what, where, why, when, and how questions of your topic. Answers to these questions can help you narrow your topic and can lead to search terms and keywords when you dig deeper into your research. 
• Do look at references used in the article - Wikipedia can lead you to legitimate sources that ARE appropriate for college-level research. (You will be citing a source that is NOT Wikipedia). 
• Do keep a level of skepticism - like anything online, be sure to evaluate the content of the article. 

DON'T

• Don't cite Wikipedia in your bibliography or Works Cited - Use Wikipedia as background knowledge and as a springboard for future research ONLY. Wikipedia is great for pre-research. Use it as a resource for future research; not for research itself.