This guide will help you find reliable information from the range of source types needed for the Background Essay .

f you need further help, don't hesitate to contact your librarian Jody Segal or use our 24/7 Ask a Librarian to find help from a GRC Librarian when we're open, or another librarian during the hours we are closed. 

Use the Holman Library One Search to get an overview of resources on your starting topic.

This can help you:

• identify key issues
• identify ways to narrow an overly broad topic
• Broaden an overly focused topic
• identify subject terms
• find resources

NOTE: The One Search tool does not capture everything available in Holman Library. Use links above to find specific resource types and citations and abstracts for additional items you can request with InterLibrary Loan.

Refine your topic: you may need to go narrower, go broader or slighly change focus

• based on the background information you have gathered, you may decide to slightly change your topic focus - that's ok and is a normal part of research!

• you may find too much information to wade through, so you will need to narrow your topic

• you may find too little information, so you will need to broaden your topic

Fig.2. Serial, Episode 1. Serial Podcast.org. 2014. Webshot. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.