COM 2224 Business and Professional Writing

Before you can start any research on your topic, you must have a background knowledge of it. Books and websites can provide you with that knowledge.

This is important because:

1. Background sources give you the language that people are using to discuss your topic. You will use this language when you start to search databases for scholarly articles and resources on the topic.
2. This "pre-research" gives you a sense if your topic is focused enough. If your initial searches bring back so many results you can't even figure out what the language is, then you should consider narrowing your topic.

Content from IUPUI University Library Subject Guide Template is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Reference resources give you an overview or summary of a topic (think encyclopedias and dictionaries). They are useful when you need to see a basic definition or gain a general understanding. Reference sources are often a good starting point for your research.