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- English 232: Writing America
- Find Background Info
English 232: Writing America
LibKey Nomad
Librarian
Audrey Gunn
Contact:
304 Rolvaag Memorial Library
1510 St. Olaf Avenue
St. Olaf College
Northfield, MN 55057
1510 St. Olaf Avenue
St. Olaf College
Northfield, MN 55057
507-786-3658
Website
Subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Chemistry/Biology, Computer Science, Creative Writing, Data Science, Engineering, English, Environmental Conversations, Environmental Studies, Kinesiology, Mathematics, Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science, Neuroscience, Nursing, Physics, Public Health, Statistics
Why is gathering background research important?
It's important to familiarize yourself with a topic before you begin doing more specific and extensive research.
Background research will help you:
- Narrow your topic and focus your research question
- Find historical information, trends, agreements and disagreements, related to the topic, and uncovers gaps in your knowledge
- Learn the context of a topic -- the who, what, when, where, why, and how
- Uncover keywords you can use to do more extensive research
- Find additional sources on your topic
Suggested Reference Books
The Columbia Guide to American Indians of the Great PlainsCall Number: E78.G73 F69 2003 (or e-book)Publication Date: 2005
The Columbia Guide to American Indians of the NortheastCall Number: E78.E2 B72 2001 (Carleton) or e-bookPublication Date: 2002
Encyclopedia of African American History, 1619-1895Call Number: E185 .E545 2006 (Reference Room) or e-bookPublication Date: 2006
The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual HistoryCall Number: e-bookPublication Date: 2013
The Oxford Encyclopedia of American LiteratureCall Number: PS21 .E537 2004 (Oversize) or e-bookPublication Date: 2004
The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Political and Legal HistoryCall Number: e-bookPublication Date: 2012
The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Social HistoryCall Number: e-bookISBN: 0199743363Publication Date: 2012
Try These Databases
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowOffers full-text access to over 500 highly-regarded titles from 70 publishers. Covers every major subject in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences from the world's best publishers of reference.
- Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new windowOxford Reference Online brings together language and subject reference works from one of the world's biggest and most trusted reference publishers into a single cross-searchable resource.
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy This link opens in a new windowThe Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy organizes scholars from around the world in philosophy and related disciplines to create and maintain an up-to-date reference work.