Introduction to Library Research

Why is the background information important?

Ample background information helps you have a basic understanding of the research problem being investigated and promotes confidence in the overall quality of your analysis and findings.

If the topic is new to you, familiarize yourself with the basic terms, information, people, events, and statistics.

Using Google can help get a basic understanding, but it is not the place to find academic scholarly articles. Reference books such as encyclopedias or handbooks can also be a helpful resource.