Once you’re done with the topic, you have to locate various sources that provide background information on the subject. Finding background information for thesis at the very beginning of your research is highly important if you’re not really into the subject area, or not sure from where to approach the given topic. Some of the background information you may find will include major events and dates, broad overview of the topic, specific vocabulary terms, etc. How can one find these issues?
Encyclopedias
These are highly important sources to consult when performing the initial research on a topic. In general encyclopedias one may find basic information regarding a great variety of subjects in a well-organized and readable format. In case you are 100% sure about the subject area that you’d like to pick your topic from, you may need subject or specialized encyclopedia instead. These kinds of encyclopedias limit their scope to a certain area of study, providing the reader with more detailed material about the topic.
Periodicals
The matter concerns the publications that are printed monthly, daily, weekly, quarterly or annually. Various magazines, journals and newspapers – make certain to look through all of them to take the most out of them! Because of fresh information, articles taken from various periodicals make excellent resources for the given topics.
Internet
The World Wide Web is a huge ocean of both – good and bad materials. Make sure to be critical of everything you face with on the web when searching for background information for the thesis. Moreover, you must be careful that you understand the material you take from internet and cite in your work. Google Scholar, Wikipedia, Google Books – all these sources are at your service to find the most suitable reference!
Experts
If you can approach specialists of the chosen area – don’t miss this opportunity! Interviewing someone, who is involved in the field you’re studying is a chance to get the up-to-date information first hand. Prepare the list of the questions. This will save time for you and the person you’re going to communicate with.
Some students wonder what they need background information for. There are several reasons why searching for background material is a must-to-do task. First of all, background information is a perfect opportunity to face with new ideas. It’s a chance to decide what you are actually want to say on the given topic or what part of the topic you would like to dedicate your thesis for. To add more, background information provides the names of important places, people and things that are a necessary part of your subject. Feel free to make use of these names to search for articles or books later. And finally, background information opens up new information sources you can also take benefits from.
