Introduction
You've got a research paper assignment, and the first thing you need to do is choose a topic—but how do you begin to decide on one?
Background research is an essential part of developing a focused topic for your research paper. Conducting background research before you decide on your topic paves the way for more effective and targeted in-depth research. This tutorial will examine how to:
- Differentiate between background research and in-depth research.
- Locate useful sources for conducting background research.
- Utilize background research to help you refine your paper topic.
6 Basic Questions
Background research answers the following 6 basic questions that form common knowledge on any subject. Note: The following examples use "solar energy" as a topic.
- Who were some of the early developers of solar energy technology?
- What is solar energy? What do solar panels do?
- Where is solar energy most heavily utilized?
- When was solar energy technology first developed?
- How do solar panels work?
- Why is solar energy an appealing power source?
Basis of Research
Background research can give you a general understanding of a topic. Your research also may highlight important questions about a subject that can form the basis of research. Using our example topic of "solar energy," here are some questions and issues you might discover during your research.
- What are the pros and cons of using solar energy?
- How has the development of solar energy influenced building design?
- Should incentives be offered to homeowners who use solar panels?
- What methods must be used to make solar energy work in cold climates?
- In what ways might the utility companies' ambivalence toward solar energy affect its progression?
Benefits
Benefits of background research:
- Helps you understand your topic before you dive into heavy research.
Offers familiarity with the terminology used.
- Gives you an idea of how much literature is available on your topic.
- Prompts ideas for a more specific research question.
- Identifies unresolved issues, controversies, and places where knowledge is incomplete.
In other words, conducting background research will help you identify anything that can lead to interesting questions about the topic that might lead to solid research questions.
Background Research vs. In-Depth Research
In-depth research involves looking for greater detail and specifics about your topic. It's key to later stages of your paper, but background research is the most helpful place to begin when you are learning about your topic.
To understand more about the differences between the two, check out this chart.
Scholarly journals generally are used for in-depth research and probably are too narrow for most background research, but a preliminary database search for scholarly articles can help you determine how much material you might find on a topic.
Let's Compare
Examine the chart below to better understand the differences between background and in-depth research articles. Click on an image to see its full size
Locating Useful Sources for Background Research
An encyclopedia may be focused on one subject, but it is meant to be as comprehensive as possible within the bounds of that subject. Encyclopedias and reference books:
- Provide a concise summary and focus on the main issues of a topic.
- Contain articles packed with information about people, places, events in history, concepts, and more.
- Can be general or confined to a specific subject, such as economics, religion, the human body, art history, or nearly any area of knowledge.
Additional Reference Sources
Other important types of reference sources include:
- Almanacs, which contain statistical information on a variety of subjects, including sports, geography, astronomy, and others.
- Atlases, which provide information about a place; contain maps, including roads, climate information, topography, and political boundaries; and profiles of places, including demographic, political, and historical information.
- Newspapers and magazines, which supply current news and features about a topic targeted for the general public.
- Books, which impart broad yet thorough overviews of a topic.
- The Internet, which offers access to online versions of encyclopedias, newspapers and magazines, books, websites, and many more useful sources of background information.
Refine Your Paper Topic
Once you have completed your background research, it will be easier to focus and refine your topic.
Think about:
- Ideas you've discovered during your research.
- Issues that would be interesting to explore further.
- Questions you've had while reading.
For every topic, there is a just right spot where the scope of the topic is just right for your assignment. Sometimes a topic is too broad (too much information to cover) or too narrow (you can't find enough information on your topic). Be aware that the just right spot might vary depending on the specifics of your assignment and the resources available to you.
Imagine you are writing a 5-page paper. For this activity, you must determine which topic is "just right" for your assignment. First, let's take a look at example topics.
Conclusion
Effective background research will provide you with the foundation you need to perform more in-depth research with confidence and comfort. Behind every great paper is well-done background research.
Background Research Tips
Kaleigh Buckner
Created on January 8, 2024
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Transcript
Introduction
You've got a research paper assignment, and the first thing you need to do is choose a topic—but how do you begin to decide on one?
Background research is an essential part of developing a focused topic for your research paper. Conducting background research before you decide on your topic paves the way for more effective and targeted in-depth research. This tutorial will examine how to:
6 Basic Questions
Background research answers the following 6 basic questions that form common knowledge on any subject. Note: The following examples use "solar energy" as a topic.
Basis of Research
Background research can give you a general understanding of a topic. Your research also may highlight important questions about a subject that can form the basis of research. Using our example topic of "solar energy," here are some questions and issues you might discover during your research.
Benefits
Benefits of background research:
In other words, conducting background research will help you identify anything that can lead to interesting questions about the topic that might lead to solid research questions.
Background Research vs. In-Depth Research
In-depth research involves looking for greater detail and specifics about your topic. It's key to later stages of your paper, but background research is the most helpful place to begin when you are learning about your topic.
To understand more about the differences between the two, check out this chart.
Scholarly journals generally are used for in-depth research and probably are too narrow for most background research, but a preliminary database search for scholarly articles can help you determine how much material you might find on a topic.
Let's Compare
Examine the chart below to better understand the differences between background and in-depth research articles. Click on an image to see its full size
Locating Useful Sources for Background Research
An encyclopedia may be focused on one subject, but it is meant to be as comprehensive as possible within the bounds of that subject. Encyclopedias and reference books:
Additional Reference Sources
Other important types of reference sources include:
Refine Your Paper Topic
Once you have completed your background research, it will be easier to focus and refine your topic.
Think about:
For every topic, there is a just right spot where the scope of the topic is just right for your assignment. Sometimes a topic is too broad (too much information to cover) or too narrow (you can't find enough information on your topic). Be aware that the just right spot might vary depending on the specifics of your assignment and the resources available to you.
Imagine you are writing a 5-page paper. For this activity, you must determine which topic is "just right" for your assignment. First, let's take a look at example topics.
Conclusion
Effective background research will provide you with the foundation you need to perform more in-depth research with confidence and comfort. Behind every great paper is well-done background research.