Once you've selected a broad topic to explore, scan reference sources, such as subject-specific encyclopedias and handbooks to: 

1) Understand the basic facts related to the topic

2) Generate questions to guide your research

3) Identify important ideas and terms to investigate further

Search a main topic in OneSearch to retrieve a Start Your Research encyclopedic article for a topic overview.

Browse or search Gale eBooks for reference book essays with background information, topic overviews, and primary sources. If you retrieve several articles with the same title, look at the names of the sources or encyclopedias, which will tell you the discipline covering the topic. For instance, you may decide that you want to read about meditation from both a psychological perspective and a medical one.

Search the eBook Academic Collection for reference books by searching the books titles for the terms encyclopedia or handbook or dictionary, like this:

[ encyclopedia or handbook or dictionary ] in the [ TI Title ] 

Further narrow your search by adding your topic to the second search bar, like this:

 AND [ mindfulness ] in [ Select a Field (optional) ] 

If you aren't getting many hits, you can expand your results by by changing "Select a Field" to "TX All Text" like this:

[ encyclopedia or handbook or dictionary ]  in the [ TI Title ] 

AND [ mindfulness ]  in [ TX All Text ] 

Opinions Throughout History Volumes:

Each single in-depth volume traces public opinion on current, controversial topics from our nation's early history to the present using a range of primary and secondary documents, including newspaper and magazine articles, speeches, court decisions, and other legislation. 

Search the library catalog for more print and online reference titles.

In the left column of the result screen, under LOCATION, select REFERENCE COLLECTION - 1ST FLOOR