LibGuides: Research Skills Tutorial: Getting Background Information

Get Background Information & Context By Using Reference Sources

Reference sources are helpful when beginning the research process. They give you a working knowledge of your chosen subject area. They allow you to:

Gain a general understanding of the topic
Understand the context of your topic
Learn important facts, names, issues, and vocabulary associated with your topic

The most common background sources are encyclopedias and dictionaries. Your textbook also provides background information.

Finding Reference Sources

The Lewis Library has access to hundreds of online reference sources.

Reference books are also available on the third floor of the Library near D303.

There are also some reference sources freely available on the web. Just be sure to evaluate these the way you would any other source before basing your research on them

Types Of References Sources

Dictionaries provide not only word definitions but information about concepts and people.

An etymological dictionary contains historical word origins.
A thesaurus contains synonyms, and often antonyms, for words.
A bilingual dictionary translates from one language to another.
A subject dictionary is a good source for longer and more in-depth definitions using the vocabulary of a particular area of study.

Here are a couple examples:

Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is widely regarded as the accepted authority on the English language. It is an unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of 600,000 words— past and present—from across the English-speaking world.

The Concise Dictionary of Business Management by David Statt
Call Number: Available Online
A quick reference guide for students and professionals wanting to cut through the jargon of business and management.

Encyclopedias provide brief articles explaining a topic. There are general encyclopedias and subject-specific encyclopedias that provide detailed, advanced and technical content in a particular area of study.

Here are a couple examples:

Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal Music
Call Number: REF ML102.R6 P54 2009
Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Call Number: Available Online

Directories contain contact information for persons, organizations or companies. They may also contain descriptions of those entities.

Here are a couple examples:

College Directory
This searchable college directory will help you locate contact information about NCCC faculty and staff members.
Federal Government Departments
A directory of contact information for U.S. federal government departments and agencies.

Almanac are annual publications that contain time-sensitive information about geography and politics, economic data, astronomical data, world records, tides, weather, statistics, etc.

Here are a couple examples:

Farmers' Almanac
A compendium of knowledge on weather, gardening, cooking, home remedies, managing households, preserving the earth, and more.

National Geographic Almanac 2019 by National Geographic
Call Number: REF AY64 .N38 2018
Provides information on a wide range of topics, including animals, culture, geography, the environment, history, and science.

Atlases contain maps that associate different types of data (e.g., populations, politics, etc.) with geography. There are different types of maps available.

Political maps show countries, states or provinces, counties, cities, towns, and villages.
Road maps show streets, roads, and highways.
Topographical maps show the lay of the land.
Demographic maps show population statistics.
Historical maps compare geographical and political information across eras.

Gazetteers contain geographical information (often using latitude and longitude coordinates) that is cross-referenced with demographic, political, historical, and other kinds of information. Gazetteers may be included in atlases but there are also standalone gazetteers that do not contain maps.

Here are a couple examples:

Atlas of the Civil War by Neil Kagan (Editor)
Call Number: REF G1201 .S5 N2 2009
In this one-of-a-kind atlas, scores of archival maps and dozens of newly created maps trace the battles, political turmoil, and great themes of America's most violent and pivotal clash of arms.

Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States
An online version of Charles O. Paullin and John K. Wright's Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States, first published in 1932. This digital edition reproduces all of the atlas's nearly 700 maps.

Biographical resources contain information about the lives and accomplishments of notable people in various fields of achievement or areas of study.

Here are a couple examples:

American Men and Women of Science
Call Number: REF Q141 .A54 2005
This edition in 8-volumes features over 120,000 brief biographies of living scientists located in North America.

American National Biography
A collection of over 19,000 biographies of significant, influential or notorious figures from American history written by prominent scholars.

Handbooks and guides contain detailed, advanced information about a particular subject area. This can include facts about a subject or instructions for operating a device or completing a procedure.

Here are a couple examples:

The Oxford Handbook of American Indian History by Frederick E. Hoxie
Call Number: E77 .O94 2016
The real people, real communities, and real events of indigenous America continue to elude most people. This book confronts this erroneous view by presenting an accurate and comprehensive history of the indigenous peoples who lived-and live-in the territory that became the United States.
Mosby's 2021 Nursing Drug Reference
Call Number: Available Online
This guide provides safety features that help you practice knowledgeable, safe medication dispensing. Content on more than 5,000 generic and brand-name drugs covers almost every drug you are likely to encounter in clinicals.

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