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Finding Background Information
The purpose of this guide is to recommend resources to fill a general reference need, such as finding demographic information about a country or background information on a particular topic or area of study. Click on the tabs at the top of the page, or the menu below to navigate among the sections of this guide to discover useful resources. Need help? Ask a Librarian!
- Encyclopedias - Explore general and specialized encyclopedias to familiarize yourself with topics.
- Dictionaries - Use English and foreign language dictionaries to define words across disciplines.
- Atlases and Country Profiles- Find maps, demographic information, statistics and more for all countries around the world.
- Biographies - Search biographical resources to learn about people, businesses and more throughout history.
- Book Reviews - Use critical book reviews to identify and evaluate scholarly works for your own research.
- Dissertations - Explore full-text theses and dissertations from around the world - often great sources for comprehensive literature reviews.