Psychology M06 - Boucquey: Finding Background Information

When getting started with your research, it is a good idea to get a general overview of a topic or gather background information. Information from reference resources at the library can help you decide if the topic is worth pursuing. Traditional and authoritative reference resources include either print or online:

• Encyclopedias: 
  • Credo Reference
  • Gale eBooks, EBSCO Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
• Dictionaries: 
  • Oxford English Dictionary
• Handbooks
  • DSM-5
• Thesauri

In today's world, people generally turn to Wikipedia to get background information. Wikipedia is an open-collaborative online encyclopedia, and although it is a good starting point to use for finding background information, you will have to evaluate the credibility of it's sources. Background information serves many purposes, such as:

• Providing context
• Highlighting key information:
  • facts, issues, origins, theories, definitions, terminology, dates, events, history, names of people, and organizations
• Keywords and subject-specific vocabulary terms for database searches
• Citations that lead to additional resources

• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

  Patient and provider information on diseases, wellness and health topics, and clinical trials.

• National Alliance on Mental Health

  NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. - See more at: https://www.nami.org/About-NAMI#sthash.LBL0mYMq.dpuf

• MedlinePlus

  Produced by the National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus is the National Institutes of Health's Web site for patients and their families and friends. Includes reliable, up-to-date health information about diseases, conditions, and wellness issues.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Diseases & Conditions

  Official Web site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), providing direct access to important health and safety topics, scientific articles, data and statistics, tools and resources – and over 900 topics in the CDC.gov A-Z Index.

• HealthFinder.gov

  Reliable Resources on a wide range of health topics selected from Government and nonprofit resources