Find Background Information
Need topic ideas? Make sure you pick something that is interesting to you! Browsing these websites and databases can be a great way to uncover potential topic ideas. These sources will provide background information and keywords for further research.
Best Bets for Public Issue Topics
- CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
A weekly publication that covers current and controversial issues with complete summaries, timelines and bibliographies. - Opposing Viewpoints in Context This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Viewpoint articles, topic overviews, full-text magazine, academic journal, and newspaper articles, primary source documents, statistics, images, and more.
Websites
- Pew Research Center Topic ExplorerBrowse reports and data from Pew's public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research
- StatelineWeekly news articles and research reports on state governments and public policy issues.
More Background Info Resources
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
A collection of digital reference titles. Content includes a wide range of general reference titles together with a large collection of subject-specific books. - Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
A database of encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research. - Science in Context This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Contextual information on hundreds of today's most significant science topics. Includes reference content along with full-text magazines, academic journals, news articles, experiments, images, videos, audio files and links to vetted websites. - Films On Demand: Master Academic Collection This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Includes over 317,000 video clips and 43,000 full-length educational videos in Humanities & Social Sciences, Business & Economics, Health & Medicine, Science & Mathematics, and Archival Films & Newsreels.
Researching with Wikipedia (the Scholarly Way)
Wikipedia can be great for starting the research process with a quick overview of a topic, but it's important to understand its limitations as a research tool.
- Researching with WikipediaLearn when to use Wikipedia for research, how to judge article quality, and more
Brainstorm Keywords
Draft a Thesis Statement
Need Help?
Contact Us
802.485.2176 - Service Desk