Search for a person, place, thing, event, or concept to find background information on or gain familiarity with your topic.
Specialized reference sources such as these provide information similar to what you'd find in a Wikipedia page, but are usually written by an author with expertise, are intended for an academic audience, and may be more detailed than a general encyclopedia would be. Remember, encyclopedias are best used as a starting point for your research and should not be used in place of a scholarly source.
