LibGuides: Research Step-by-Step: Step 2: Gather Background Information

Getting Started: Why You Need Background Info

Gathering background info is an important step for beginner researchers. It helps you:

define vocabulary
identify important people
put a topic in historical context and explore timelines
make connections between larger concepts
find which parts of a topic interest you most

Focus on reliable sources for background information. Start with the resources below!

Resources for Background Information

Wikipedia
Wikipedia is useful for background information: learn general overviews, timelines, important people, and helpful vocabulary to use in your library searches. However, do not cite Wikipedia in your reference list.

Oxford Reference Online Premium
Authoritative background information on a variety of subjects.

Note: Only 5 UMSL users can access the Oxford Reference database simultaneously. Please close out of Oxford Reference when you are finished using it. If full text is not available to UMSL through Oxford Reference, check the UMSL & MOBIUS Catalogs and request any unavailable items through UMSL's Interlibrary Loan service.

Reference in Your Subject

Both digital and print encyclopedias and other reference works can be useful. Find our print reference on Level 2 and digital reference in our A-Z Database List or main library search. Here are a few examples of digital reference works in specific subjects:

Oxford Music Online
Authoritative reference works on music and musicians from music scholars.

Note: Only one UMSL user at a time can access the Oxford Music Online database. Please close out of Oxford Music Online when you are finished using it.
eHRAF World Cultures
A cross-cultural database on all aspects of cultural and social life. Information is organized into cultures and ethnic groups. Full-text sources are subject-indexed at the paragraph level.
Oxford English Dictionary
An unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of 600,000 words - past and present - from across the English-speaking world.
What’s new:
- Every three months updates revise existing entries and add new words
- The OED today: discover the 21st century OED and find out more about the revision programme, how to read an entry, and how to use the online OED
- Aspects of English: informative and entertaining commentaries on the English language, written by dictionary editors and specialist authors
- Historical Thesaurus of the OED: The Historical Thesaurus of the OED arranges the dictionary by meaning. Trace the changing language of the material world, the mind, and society, from the Anglo-Saxon period to the modern day
- Video shorts: a series of videos now live examines how the OED is produced behind the scenes
- For students and teachers: using the OED for research, study, and teaching