*Public Health Research Guide: Research Tips

Your research will uncover several types of sources: books, and two different types of articles broken down below. There are always exceptions, but this list will give you a sense of what to expect before you start looking!

Books

• Target Audience: Mostly written for people interested in a subject but not necessarily experts.
• Content: Long exploration of a topic with CONTEXT and THEORY. They might explain a topic top to bottom, or cover several perspectives.
• Use: Context, theory, background, and sometimes an opportunity to find other sources using their footnotes/endnotes. 

Scholarly/Academic Journal Articles

• Target Audience: Written by active researchers in a field for other active researchers in that field.
• Content: Usually NARROW and SPECIFIC but thorough. May contain the results of a study or experiment. May contain ideas for future research.
• Use: Up to date information on the topic. Focus on the conclusions and what the authors learned while doing their study. 
   

"Popular" Articles from Websites and Magazines

• Target Audience: Usually everyone: People interested in the topic for any reason.
• Content: EXPLANATORY INFORMATION about some aspect of a topic. Watch out for oversimplification and especially slant/bias, depending on the source.
• Use: Getting up to speed on a topic. Getting the current "coverage" on a topic. Discovering angles you didn't know about.

What is Background Research?

Research that:

• gives you a broad idea about what your research topic is about
• provides information about specific terms used in the topic
• provides information about key people, places, and dates relevant to your topic

This information can help you effectively search for information on your topic.

There are many different sources for Background Research:

Encyclopedias

General Encyclopedias

• These are designed for general readers and contain information on a variety of topics (e.g. Encyclopedia Britannica, World Book)

Subject Encyclopedias

• These focus on one field or topic, such as religion, psychology, or African American history (e.g. Encyclopedia of Psychology)

Books on the topic

• books can provide a good overview of the topic, and their lists of sources can point you to resources that you can use

Podcasts

• There are many good podcasts that can give overviews on a variety of topics (e.g. Stuff You Should Know)

Wikipedia

• This online encyclopedia can be a good way of getting on overview of your topic.  Very useful for information on popular culture.  Looking at the history of the entries is also a good way of seeing the conflicts that are related to the issue

Useful Resources to Find Background Information

• CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window

  Comprehensive, non-biased reporting and analysis on issues shaping our world.

• Credo Reference This link opens in a new window

  An online reference library that has over 350 titles from 60 different publishers.

• Encyclopedia Britannica Academic Edition This link opens in a new window

  Included only links to electronic journals in the field of education that are scholarly, peer-reviewed, full text and accessible without cost.

 Sort Database Group  

• Wikipedia

  Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia, created and edited by volunteers around the world and hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation.