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ENG - Bonica: Background Information

Useful resources for during and after the library instruction session for ENG102 and ENG101 with Professor Bonica

Introduction

Gathering background information is a critical step in the research process! It helps you understand the context of the topic, what people are already saying about that topic, and what language people use to talk about the topic. You want to understand what kind of conversation is already happening before you can add your own voice. 

When doing background research, you'll probably want to search both the internet as well as tools at the Library, so that you can get the broadest picture of the existing conversation. This page has some tips and tools you can use for that research.

Background Research on the Internet

Doing research on general internet sites is a great way to get started with research, to check out what popular media is saying about a topic, and to find out what people who may not be involved in the academic/scholarly conversation have to say about a topic (because remember, sometimes voices get left out of scholarly conversation!). Here are a few tips to help you take your Google searching to the next level:

  • Use quotation marks " " to search a phrase (e.g., those words together in that exact order).
  • Use Google’s Advanced search to help you be more specific.
  • Go beyond the first page of results. Don’t assume the “best” info is always at the top.
  • Try Google’s other products. In particular, Google Books, Google News, and Google Scholar are great specialized search tools. Sometimes their results will come up when you just search Google.com, but if you want to dig deeper try each individually.
  • Remember that where and who you are matters when searching! Did you know Google doesn’t show the same search results to everyone? It tailors results based on what it thinks you most want to see. (There’s a name for this problematic phenomenon: filter bubble.) Be aware of this fact and consider digging a little deeper so you’re at least pushing at those boundaries Google sets up for you.

 

Background Research at the Library

The Library can be an important part of background research, particularly if you want to know about what kind of scholarly conversations are already taking place. Here are some tools you can use to get some context for your research.