Research Process

 Background research serves many purposes.

• If you are unfamiliar with the topic, it provides a good overview of the subject matter.
• It helps you to identify important facts related to your topic -- terminology, dates, events, history, and names or organizations.
• It can help you to refine your topic.
• You might find a list of references that provide a starting point for your resarch.

Background information can be found in:

• textbooks
• dictionaries
• general encyclopedias
• subject-specific encyclopedias  
• article databases

Our favorite place to start is with Credo Reference. Find topic pages, encyclopedia articles, or dictionary entires for your topic and keywords.

Wikipedia can be a great tool, especially for background information or identifying keywords. However, it must be taken with a grain of salt. In fact, Wikipedia itself reminds you to be critical when using the site and warns against citing it as a source.

Wikipedia articles are works in constant progress. They can be edited by anyone, anytime. While the site is making efforts to improve quality and accuracy, it is impossible to keep up with such a large and continually changing resource.

We recommend that you use Wikipedia as a starting point for your research. Learn background information, look for keywords, and discover potential resources for future research, but always verify the information you find in another, more reliable source.

Want to learn more about how to evaluate information on Wikipedia? Check out the site's statement of Reliability on Wikipedia and How to Evaluate a Wikipedia Article.

If you can't find an encyclopedia, dictionary or textbook article on your topic, try using broader keywords or ask a librarian for help.

For example, if your topic is global warming, consider searching for an encyclopedia on the environment.

Fair Use is a doctrine of the United States copyright law that allows limited use of copyrighted works without seeking permission typically for the purposes of criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. In determining whether or not use of a copyrighted work is fair the following factors should be considered:

• the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
• the nature of the copyrighted work;
• the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole;
• and the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.