Familiarize yourself with some background information so you are prepared to write about your topic. Background information includes overviews, encyclopedia articles, eBook chapters, etc. You may use Wikipedia in your daily life for background information, but it's not appropriate for academic research. Check out the resources on the Background information page as a scholarly alternative or try the background information databases on this page. Once you read some background information, you may better understand your topic and know which stance you want to take for your research.

To start, the librarians recommend the Credo Reference database, which searches hundreds of encyclopedias and dictionaries for background information. Type your topic into the search box below to get started.