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RS 316U/HIS 317L/AMS 315 - Graber

Find Background Information

What is Background Information?

Background information provides a general overview of a research topic, including important terms and concepts, relevant names of people or places, and dates of specific events. Finding background information can help you locate keywords for searching databases and identify more specific areas of your topic that you may want to research further.

Where to Search

The two databases above contain encyclopedia articles.  Encyclopedia articles contain general facts and basic overviews. Check with your professor before citing an encyclopedia article, as they are not peer-reviewed scholarly sources.

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