What is Background Information?
Background information is the foundational information you must know to create a research question or topic. Background information gives you an overview of basic ideas or concepts related to your topic. It also introduces you to the academic language that experts may use to describe your topic.
Reference Databases
- Britannica Academic
Complete online version of the Encyclopedia Britannica, including Merriam Webster's Dictionary & Thesaurus, magazine and journal articles, videos, and notable quotations.
- CQ Researcher
A database of in-depth, authoritative reports on a full range of political and social-policy issues extending back to 1923.
- Credo Reference
Reference books including dictionaries, encyclopedias, quotations, and atlases, plus a wide range of subject-specific reference titles.
- Gale EBOOKS
Electronic reference books, including subject encyclopedias.
- Issues and Controversies
Covers hot topics in business, politics, government, education and popular culture.
Principles of Health Series
The Principles of Health Series by Salem Press provides high school students, undergraduates and public library patrons with a solid foundation for various topics in health. Easy-to-understand entries on hundreds of important terms, principles and concepts allow readers to develop a deeper understanding of each field. Using these volumes, students and researchers will have the tools they need to begin their study of health and the body.
Below are some examples of titles in this series. For a full list of all titles, see OneSearch. The GCC Library has all titles in both print and ebook form.
Principles of Health: Allergies and Immune Disorders by Call Number: 616.97 P957ISBN: 9781637000236Publication Date: 2022This volume covers allergies, defined as hypersensitivity to the immune system, and immune disorders, which are dysfunctions of the immune system classified as different from allergies based on immune system disorders.
Principles of Health: Anxiety and Stress by Call Number: 152.46 P957ISBN: 9781642656992Publication Date: 2020Topics cover Types of Anxiety Disorders, Mind-Body Connection, Coping Strategies, Stress Reduction, and Prevalence in the Adolescent Population.
Principles of Health: Depression by Call Number: 616.8527 P957ISBN: 9781637000250Publication Date: 2022This volume addresses factors that can contribute to depression, like certain life events and personality; how depression is measured; and life styles that are connected to depression, like alcoholism and creative thinking.
Principles of Health: Diabetes by Call Number: 616.462 P957ISBN: 9781642656978Publication Date: 2020This volume offers up-to-date information on research, prevention, and treatment of the various types of diabetes.
Principles of Health: Pain Management by Call Number: 616.0472 P957ISBN: 9781642653878Publication Date: 2020Principles of Health: Pain Management, the first title in Salem's new Principles of Health series, discusses the branch of medicine that deals with causes, evaluation, prevention and treatment of pain across medical specialties.
Principles of Health: Prescription Drug Abuse by Call Number: 362.299 P957ISBN: 9781642659252Publication Date: 2022Principles of Health: Prescription Drug Abuse is an important and timely volume that addresses a serious public health issue in the United States. Prescription drug abuse takes many forms, from taking a friend's painkillers for your backache to misusing pills to lose weight or get high. Although most people take prescription medications responsibly, an estimated 20 million have misused prescription medications in the past year. The three classes of medications most commonly misused are opioids (usually prescribed to treat pain); central nervous system depressants (used to treat anxiety and sleeplessness); and stimulants (most often prescribed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy).
The Health Reference Series
The Health Reference Series by Omigraphics provides basic medical information for patients, families, caregivers, and the general public. People looking for preventive guidance, information about disease warning signs, medical statistics, and risk factors for health problems will also find answers to their questions in this series.
Below are some examples of titles in this series. For a full list of all titles, see OneSearch. The GCC Library has some titles in print, some as ebooks, and some as both.
Asthma Sourcebook by ISBN: 9780780820050Publication Date: 2022Provides basic consumer health information about the diagnosis, treatment, and management of asthma, including facts about coping with the disease, minimizing triggers, managing medications, and a special section on asthma in children
Disability and Health Sourcebook by ISBN: 9780780819979Publication Date: 2022Provides basic consumer health information about physical, sensory, cognitive, and learning disabilities, along with facts about assistive devices, technologies, and related services to promote independence, and therapies to support people with disabilities.
PTSD and Coping with Trauma Sourcebook by ISBN: 9780780817678Publication Date: 2020Provides consumer health information about posttraumatic disorder, covering topics such as types of trauma, diagnosis and treatment and living with PTSD.? Includes index, glossary of related terms, and other resources.
Traumatic Brain Injury Sourcebook by ISBN: 9780780818019Publication Date: 2020Provides information about the causes and risk factors for and signs and symptoms of TBI, treatment options, caregiving and other support services, recent research, and more.
