FINDING BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Scholarship is a conversation between scholars and scientists. As an inexperienced researcher, you may find it difficult to makes meaningful contributions to this conversation. Finding reliable background information can help you:

• Learn what questions have already been asked. Getting up to speed on the conversation can be daunting, so finding productive ways to enter it is an important step.
• Discover the language experts use to talk about the subject.   Research within specific disciplines is often discussed using a specialized/technical language. You need to be aware of that language to efficiently and effectively search library resources.
• Uncover key concepts, people, and/or events. If the investigation of one idea proves unproductive, these elements may provide you with additional avenues of inquiry.

Entries in the encyclopedias, like those listed below, can provide excellent overviews for most concepts. You will usually find references or suggested books and articles for further reading at the end of the articles.

If you’re stuck, it never hurts to check Wikipedia for inspiration. You may discover a ton of useful information. But it should never be used as a final source. Any information you find should be corroborated in other sources.

Take a look at the Need ideas? section of the Penn State York Library Instructional Support Guide for additional strategies.

Many instructors require students to use scholarly (academic), peer-reviewed journal articles for college research papers. However, students often don’t know where to find these articles and aren’t even sure what a scholarly article looks like.

This chart outlines the differences between scholarly journals, trade publications, and popular magazines.

Below are a few of the most commonly used databases, but make sure to check the Subject Guide for your major (or intended major) to know the recommended databases for your field.

If you’re going to use any source as a piece of evidence, you should evaluate it. Ask yourself:

• What is the purpose? Is it to inform? Educate? Entertain? Advocate? Its purpose will help you understand the ways it constructs Authority, ensures Accuracy, and limits Bias.
• Who is the author? How is the author’s credibility established? Does the reputation of the publication provide the author with credibility?
• Who is the intended audience? What beliefs or values might they share? How might these beliefs and values shape the way the author constructs the message?

If you feel that you can defend a source’s credibility and trustworthiness, cite it. For help with citations, visit the University Libraries Citation Guides.

NOTE: It is necessary to evaluate a message’s specific claims. That, however, can be complicated. You need to compare and corroborate them to determine if they’re consistent with those in other information sources. You may need to engage in a process called lateral reading (searching for information about a source by reading what other sites say about it).