Reason 1: You need to understand how other people are talking about your topic so you can try-out different search terms.
Reason 2: You can get ideas about how to narrow your topic before you even start searching.
Reason 3: You might discover that there aren't a lot of resources on your topic and may be able to save time by changing or expanding your topic.
To-Do 1: Find a good source for summary information on your topic (see below for suggestions). Reach the summary information. Pay attention to other ways people are talking about your topic, any related concepts, any key terms, and other references or citations.
To-Do 2: Take notes as you read. Write down any key terms you might want to use in your searching. Write down any references or citations you think you might want to look up.
From the library website, go to the OneSearch tab and type in a broad search. Broad search = 1 or 2 words.
On top of your results list you should see a box that says "START YOUR RESEARCH." This is the research starter for your broad topic. It is full of summary information, key terms, and a reference.
Gale e-Books: Containing encyclopedias and specialized reference sources, Gale eBooks assists with research over a number of disciplines.
CQ Researcher: The CQ Researcher is the award-winning choice of researchers seeking original, comprehensive reporting and analysis on issues in the news. Controversial topics addressed in a balanced, unbiased manner in the CQ tradition. Look for detailed analyses of current social issues, targeting controversial or "hot" topics.
You can. Wikipedia can have a lot of good summary information. It can also be a great resource to understand how other people are thinking and writing about a topic. Just remember that you aren't going to cite anything on Wikipedia. It is for background research only.
Also to keep in mind:
1) You'll want to verify anything you read on Wikipedia with other research.
2) Be suspicious of short articles. Shorter articles will likely have more bias and/or mistakes than longer articles.
3) Double-check citations. Sometimes the citations no-longer exist or never existed.