Finding background information

Once you have identified the main topic and keywords for your research, find one or more sources of background information to read. These sources will help you understand the broader context of your research and tell you in general terms what is known about your topic. They will give you an idea of how much and what kind of information is available on a given topic. The most common background sources are encyclopedias and dictionaries from the reference collections and the Library Gateway. Textbooks also provide background information.

Encyclopedias and dictionaries

Exploit bibliographies

Read the background information and note any interesting sources (books, journals, magazines, etc.) listed in the bibliography at the end of an encyclopedia article or dictionary entry. The sources cited in the bibliography are good starting points for further research.

Look up these sources in the Cornell University Library Catalog. Check the subject headings listed in the subject field of the online record for these books and journals. Then do subject searches using those subject headings to locate additional titles. For more information about subject searching in the CU Library Catalog, go to Subject Heading Searches.

Remember that many of the books you find in the CU Library Catalog and the journal articles you find using periodical indexes will themselves have bibliographies. Check these bibliographies for additional relevant resources for your research.

By using this technique of routinely following up on sources cited in bibliographies, you can generate a surprisingly large number of books and articles on your topic in a relatively short time.