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Research Success for High School Students

STEP 2: FIND BACKGROUND INFORMATION...

SUMMARY: Learn more about your topic by reading articles in encyclopedias. Note any interesting topics or information in the bibliographies at the end of the encyclopedia articles and keep a research notebook on the related topics and key words you find. Use this new information to identify the main concepts or keywords in your question.

Utilize the tools listed on this page to conduct background research.

Google

  • Google
  • Google Advanced Search
  • Google Books
    • Use Google Books to access data on millions of books, some of which can viewed in full text. Use the "Search in this book" feature to quickly search an entire book for a word or phrase. Google Books can also be a handy way of finding citation information for a book or article in a collection. Google Books has an Advanced Book Search that is similar to Google's regular Advanced Search feature.

  • Google Blog Search

    Like the regular Google search, Google Blog Search is used to find information within blogs. Results can be limited to a specific time range to obtain the most recent information.

  • Google News Archive Search

    Search archived news from over 50,000 sources. Includes a customization option that lets you personalize what kind of news you want and which sources you want your news from. Click here for a YouTube tutorial.

  • Google Public Data Explorer

    Search for public data, including statistics and projections, from over ninety international institutions. The data can be displayed in several different formats including line graphs, bar graphs, and maps. Public Data Explorer can be a quick and easy way to locate and visualize data.

Encyclopedias

Opposing Viewpoints 

You can either browse the most popular topics from the first screen, or you can search by keyword.  This is a great place to start, but you need to look at other tools also.  All of the essays are available full text.

Gale Virtual Reference Library

Contains thousands of online encyclopedias and other reference works. Good for the humanities.

Sage eReference

CQ Researcher

Credo Reference

Encyclopaedia Britannica
Alternative to Wikipedia that provides articles, biographies, videos, and more on a variety of subjects.

The ASU Library acknowledges the twenty-three Native Nations that have inhabited this land for centuries. Arizona State University's four campuses are located in the Salt River Valley on ancestral territories of Indigenous peoples, including the Akimel O’odham (Pima) and Pee Posh (Maricopa) Indian Communities, whose care and keeping of these lands allows us to be here today. ASU Library acknowledges the sovereignty of these nations and seeks to foster an environment of success and possibility for Native American students and patrons. We are advocates for the incorporation of Indigenous knowledge systems and research methodologies within contemporary library practice. ASU Library welcomes members of the Akimel O’odham and Pee Posh, and all Native nations to the Library.