Why Find Background Information?

Background information gives a genreal overview of a topic, providing general concepts and terms and important people and dates. Finding background information about your research topic can help you identify key words for searching for additional sources (for example, in article databases). A good place to start looking for background information is in reference sources like encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, and almanacs.

How to Find Background Information

To find background information on your topic, try searching for WMU Libraries' resources using Library Search and your topic and a term like "encyclopedia", "dictionary", "handbook", or "almanac" as search terms. 

Also, you can often find background information on a topic in genrel books on the topic or in the introduction or literature review sections of scholarly articles on the topic.

For help finding background information on your topic, contact Carrie Leatherman, WMU's social sciences librarian.

Below is a sample of scholarly psychology-related dictionaries and encyclopedias in the WMU Libraries. Use them to find background info on your topic. To find other other psychology-related books, search in Library Search using your topic as a search term and limit your search results to "books".

For instructions on how to use Library Search, take a look at the LIbraries' guide: How You Can Use Library Search. ​

Below is a sample of scholarly psychology-related handbooks and manuals in the WMU Libraries. Use them to find background info on your topic.