Research Guides: Claim Essays-ENGLISH 1B: The Basics-Background & Current Information

Background Information on a Topic

Books, encyclopedias and reports are a great place to start your research because:

They're a good source for background and a quick history on a topic: the who, what, where, when and why!
They can also help narrow down a broad topic and find smaller issues within a topic.
They've gone through a review as part of the publishing process, so the burden of evaluating for credibility does not rest as heavily on your shoulders!

Some recommended library resources for background information:

eBook Collection This link opens in a new window
Access to over 200,000 full-text eBooks, many by academic and university presses published in the past ten years. Good for reliable background information on broad topics.
CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
Series of reports on current and controversial issues originally designed to provide background information on a topic for journalists. Good resource for a quick and thorough overview of a topic. Reports also include a chronology/timeline which can be valuable resource for a quick historical overview of an issue.
Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Searchable access over 60 specialized encyclopedias full-text.

Current Information on a Topic

Articles from published resources such as newspapers, magazines and journals are a great place to find current information on a topic and subtopics to supplement background information. Hint: Try doing several mini searches on your various subtopics rather than one large search on a broad topic to avoid large results sets (Example: Instead of pollution, try smaller subtopics like deforestation or plastic waste.)

Some recommended library resources for current information:

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
Full-text access to articles out of academic journals as well as general interest magazines with excellent coverage in a wide variety of disciplines. Watch the How To Use Academic Search Complete video.
Opposing Viewpoints This link opens in a new window
Extensive list of sample topics on front page leading to gateways of full-text resources including: book chapters, viewpoint essays, news, magazine and academic journal articles as well as some statistical data. Watch the How to Use Opposing Viewpoints video.
Newspapers - US Major Dailies This link opens in a new window
Full-text access to The New York Times (1980-present), Wall Street Journal (1984-present)Washington Post (1987-present), Los Angeles Times (1985-present), and Chicago Tribune (1985-present)

See our full A-Z list for more discipline-specific article resources (business, communication, psychology and more)!

Fact, Value, Policy, or Bust?

Fact, Value, Policy, or Bust?
Examine each statement to determine whether it is an appropriate working thesis for a
FACT CLAIM, a VALUE CLAIM, a POLICY CLAIM, or none.

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