After you've decided on a general idea for your paper or other assignment, you may need to do some general background reading before you go on to more in-depth resources. You can often get good background information (key people, dates, concepts or issues) or an overview of the subject from:

• General encyclopedias such as Encyclopaedia Britannica or Britannica Online
• Specialized Encyclopedias such as McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology, Encyclopedia of World Art, International Encyclopedia of Business and Management, and many others
• Sometimes other resources, such as magazine or newspaper articles, a respected Web site or a book

Be careful that the background information you get comes from a reliable source. Ask a reference librarian to recommend sources that might be especially good for your topic.