It is important to have some general knowledge of your topic before delving further into your research! It will help you select a topic and provide a context for doing more specific or refined searching.
There are many sources of background information, some of which are below.
Throughout the course, you can return to these resources as you encounter technical terms or need to learn about facets of your topic.
PRECISION SEARCHING
To do a "precision" search in Google, search on google advanced search. This brings up the Google Advanced Search. There, you can limit your search results to the type of domain, such as .edu. You can also put in phrases or specify words that need to appear in the search.
USING WIKIPEDIA
Wikipedia can be a valuable source of background information and a stepping stone to discovering academic resources. *Often wikipedia has useful links listed at the bottom of an article.*
You will of course have to confirm independently information you find in Wikipedia.
Here is a detailed guide about Wikipedia. For information about the reliability of Wikipedia, see this Wikipedia article about the Reliability of Wikipedia.
Web resources can be rich sources of information on a topic, but when conducting research, it's important to consider the quality and accuracy of sites you visit on the open web. Use the CRAPP test to determine whether a web resource is trustworthy:
Books can be a great source of background information.
You can look up books, whether print or electronic, in ASA, Lehigh's online catalog. See the search box toward the center of the library homepage.
Not finding a book at Lehigh? Try searching one of the two flavors of WorldCat available here.
Need to request a copy of a book that's not available at Lehigh? Use Palci in Interlibrary Loan to borrow it. You will get an email when your book is ready for pickup. Use ILLiad for articles, or if you don't find a book in Palci. You can also use ILLiad to order a chapter of a book.