If you can't find an encyclopedia, dictionary or textbook article on your topic, try using broader keywords or ask a librarian for help.
For example, if your topic is "global warming" consider searching for an encyclopedia on the environment to find some basic background information about your topic.
Background information can be found in:
These sources are often listed in our Research Guides or can be located by searching for them using the Books/ & More tab on our website. You can browse a complete list of the library's guides by visiting the Research Guides homepage.
The thing to remember about Wikipedia is that it is a wiki. A wiki is a website on which users collaboratively modify content and structure directly from the web browser. So, it is not the same as the Encyclopedia Britannica, which has authoritative articles supplemented by citations and footnotes. While Wikipedia is trying to be more scholarly and does offer references for some articles, the content is largely contributed by private individuals who have an interest in the topic, and maybe even an agenda. The casual reader cannot know who contributed what content or what that contributor's expertise in the subject area is. It could be a hobbyist or it could be a university professor.
If you already know something about a topic and need to double check something, you can try Wikipedia but generally, in an academic environment, it is better to use Encyclopedia Britannica or Credo Reference, both of which UIW Libraries makes available to you electronically (for free!) through our Databases page.
Once you have identified some key terminology, the next step is to find background information on your topic. Background research serves many purposes.
Why do you need background information? Won't you learn everything you need to know about a topic as you do your research? Can't you just get started with zero knowledge about the topic? Well, sure you can but your life will be easier if you do a little background reading so you do not have to stop every two minutes to look up jargon you don't understand.
Let's look at a couple of examples:
1. Women's Rights
You've decided you want to write about the history of women's rights in the United States. You think you know enough about it and jump right in. The first article you read talks about "first wave feminism" and "second wave feminism." What the heck does that mean? And what is this Seneca Falls Convention?
If you spend a few minutes reading some background information, even just an encyclopedia entry, you will understand clearly what those terms mean and be ready to read more indepth articles.
2. Pediatric Autism
You have a ten-year-old cousin who is autistic and you have been around him all his life. You think you understand autism and want to write about it but your instructor tells you that the topic is too broad. You know your cousin struggles with anxiety and so you decide to focus on children with autism who have anxiety and depression but the first sentence of the first article you found reads "Mothers of 627 children with autism (ages 1–17, IQs 16–146) completed the Pediatric Behavior Scale."* You realize you have never been to a doctor's appointment with your cousin and have no idea what the Pediatric Behavior Scale is. Clearly you need to do a little background reading to understand this scale and how it is used.
*Mayes, S. D., Calhoun, S. L., Murray, M. J., & Zahid, J. (2011). Variables associated with anxiety and depression in children with autism. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 23(4), 325-337.
3. Medical Marijuana
Medical marijuana seems like a good topic for a thesis. It is current, and you think finding information will be easy. You use Academic Search Complete just to see what is available and you find the most basic search produces over 1,700 articles that cover everything from impairment in the workplace and restoring Second Amendment rights to individuals who use cannabis to efficacy of medical marijuana in cancer patients and regulation. How do you decide on which area to focus?
First, think about what drew you to the topic: are you interested in medical applications, legal issues, the business end of running a dispensary? Let's say you choose "legal issues." What do you mean by that? Are you more interested in what Congress is doing to create a Federal law or more interested in what Colorado does if someone legally using medical marijuana is involved in an automobile accident? Maybe all you know is that you are curious about legal issues but do not know all the different topics to drill down from that. You can use a database like Credo Reference to research medical marijuana legal issues and find more information to help you know how to focus and begin your research.