Find Background Information on your Topic
Background research helps develop a more effective topic as well as brainstorm for better search terms or keywords.
- Your instructor is a great resource! They understand your assignment and can provide great advice about the topic and how to frame it.
- Talk to a librarian at Fraser Hall Library. Make an appointment with the research instruction librarian who is the subject area liaison to your major/coursework.
- Journals related to the general area you are studying can be useful to look through recent tables of contents for ideas and background information on possible topics. You can Browse Journals by Subject. Search for your subject or discipline with keywords like "social work" or linguistics.
- Reference materials like subject encyclopedias are useful for developing your topic and discovering keywords because they contain brief scholarly entries related to a discipline.
- Check the Research Guides for reference books and scholarly subject encyclopedias about specific disciplines.
