Encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other resources to help you discover basic information—names, dates, definitions, summaries, etc. These are good places to start when narrowing or choosing your topic, and when beginning research on an unfamiliar subject.
These are a few of the references that are useful places to help you understand the articles you find. Check the library catalog or with the librarians for additional resources to help you better understand the papers you are reading.
Search by background information in the library catalog.
You can search Discover to find many more reference sources such as specialized encyclopedias. Perform a keyword search for your topic and add one of the following words: encyclopedia, dictionary, handbook, guide.