If you use OneSearch, you will often retrieve a Start Your Research article that provides useful overviews about your topic. In the example below, we searched for the term, "vaccines" and found the starter article indicated with the light bulb. Not all searches will bring up a starter article, but Start Your Research articles provide background information typically found in encyclopedias. Use these articles as a starting point for research to find useful concepts, controversies, historical background, and very importantly, keywords that you can incorporate into database searches.
When you start reading the background article, look for important ideas, controversies, and keywords that can help you refine your topic. You can often find keywords in articles that you can add to your different searches in the databases. See excerpt below:
This excerpt contains important information about why American parents may refuse to have their children immunized. The paragraph goes on to talk about the importance of information to allay fears.
To find other encyclopedic articles for background information, you can use the Gale eBooks database.
You might have a controversial topic and need pro/con information so the databases below provide a good start:
*Not included in OneSearch