Background information includes: definitions, key terms, important people, key events or dates, significant locations, a bibliography related to the topic (i.e., list of suggested sources by scholars or experts in the field) and more.
Background information can be found through general reference sources, which offer broad facts that are foundational to a topic and aid in its comprehension and analysis.
Be careful and conscious of selecting your reference sources. Always be critical of where the information is coming from to avoid founding research on unreliable information.
For example, although Wikipedia is useful for general queries, its accuracy can be questioned because its contributors are variable. Use resources like Wikipedia with an informed understanding of its strengths and weaknesses.
Provides full-text access to information and background articles about every topic from across Oxford University Press’s Dictionaries, Companions and Encyclopedias.
"Wikipedia is increasingly used by people in the academic community, from first-year students to professors, as an easily accessible tertiary source for information about anything and everything. However, citation of Wikipedia in research papers may not be considered acceptable, because Wikipedia is not considered a credible source." (Wikipedia Academic Use Disclaimer )
What are examples of reference sources?
Almanacs
Atlas & Maps
Bibliographies
Dictionaries
Encyclopedia
Etymological Dictionary
Handbooks
Statistical Resources
Thesaurus
What should background information include?
Who:
Names of individuals, groups, or organizations connected to your topic.
What:
A summary of your topic will help you understand it better. This can also help you come up with search words, specialized vocabulary, and definitions.
When:
If your topic has key events associated with it, knowing what they are and when they happened will help you choose the best sources.
Where:
Similarly, the location and circumstances of the topic are important.
Why:
Knowing why your topic is important can help guide your approach in creating a thesis or argument and joining the larger scholarly conversation.
