Starting with Background Info

Always start with background information. Even though these sources are not considered "scholarly"... 

• they are excellent tools to get you a basic understanding of your topic
• they will supply you with the critical keywords necessary for the next step: construct an effective advanced search for scholarly sources

Searching for Background Info

Before you start more complex research, gain good, grounded background info on your topic.

1. Click the Gale Ebooks/Gale Virtual Reference Library link below:

2. Do a basic search on your food.
   • example: coffee

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3. Different books give you different flavors of information, so you may want to use a couple of books to give you a fuller understanding of your topic.  Look for books that focus on food itself or food as a commodity such as the ones shown below. 

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4. You can use these articles as sources for your project.  Also, scan the article for search words that you can use for future searches:

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Featured eBooks

1. Click on the books below
2. Then search for your food in the "search within publication" box

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