TSEM 102: Green Eating on a Blue Planet (Pruett)

When you begin the research process, it is often useful to do some background reading to help yourself get acquainted with your topics. Background resources include dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other resources that provide a basic overview of the key concepts associated with your topic. Background research will help you...

• Better understand your topic and the terminology associated with it
• Identify important concepts and areas of research related to your topic
• Pick out key words that you can use to search for your topic in a database
• Refine your topic

The video below provides some additional information about the process of background research.

The Cook Library subscribes to several reference databases, which primarily contain resources such as encyclopedia articles that provide a basic overview of a topic. The resources you find in these databases are an excellent starting point for your background research.

Books and eBooks are often an excellent source of background information. While you may not have time to read every book you encounter cover to cover before your assignment is due, you can often find useful information by reading specific chapters within a book that relate to your topic. Most of our eBooks have a clickable table of contents that you can use to jump to different sections or chapters of interest. You can also search within an eBook for keywords to bring up specific pages that use your search terms.

You can find both print books and eBooks by searching Cook OneSearch (make sure to check the box next to either "Books," "eBooks," or both in the "Format" section on the left side of your results screen). You can also try searching within one of the eBook databases linked below: