| Background
information is helpful when you are beginning your research. It
will give you an overview of your topic and ideas for creating a workable
research question.
For example,
if your broad topic is the Vietnam War, you could start with books
like
- Southeast
Asia: A Concise History
- A Short
History of the Vietnam War
Indepth information
is easier to deal with after you have gained a basic understanding
of your topic and formulated a research question. Indepth information
provides the evidence that enables you to answer your research question
and includes journal articles, scholarly books, primary sources,
and other detailed studies.
For example,
in your paper on the Vietnam war, if you decided to investigate
the impact of the Tet Offensive on American public opinion, you
could move on to books and articles like
- Big Story:
How the American Press and Television Reported and Interpreted
the Crisis of Tet 1968 in Vietnam and Washington
- Historical,
Social, and Personal Effects of a War and a Battle: The Vietnam
War and the Tet Offensive
Quick facts are brief bits of information that answer specific,
narrowly-focused questions. You may have such questions at any stage
of your research.
For example,
in your paper on the Tet Offensive and American public opinion,
you might need to know
- What does
"Tet" refer to?
- Who led the
American military response to the Tet Offensive?
You could find answers to these questions in specialized reference
books such as
- Encyclopedia
of the Vietnam War
- Historical
Atlas of the Vietnam War
Another great place to find answers to brief factual questions is
the Libraries' Fast Facts
webpage.
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