Encyclopedias and other reference books are an excellent starting point for your research. They can provide background information and help you identify keywords to use when searching for books and articles.
To access databases from off campus, you will be prompted to log in with your Pipeline username and password.
Contains the full text of encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference books.
Contains the full text of over 1,000 encyclopedias, dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries, and other reference books covering all major subject areas. Thousands of Topics Pages provide articles from different reference sources, arranged by subject. Includes “gadgets” for finding images, definitions, people, pronunciations, quotations, and measurement conversations, as well as a concept map feature for help identifying keywords and broadening or narrowing a topic. Additional features include videos, maps, and animations.
This tutorial examines how to identify, find, and use background information to help you choose and/or refine your topic.
If you have trouble accessing this tutorial from off campus, try logging into My.SBCC.edu in a different browser tab, then reloading this page. If that doesn't work, follow the direct red link in the title above to open the tutorial outside of this guide.
Using Wikipedia and Google for Background Research
This tutorial explores the pros and cons of using Google and Wikipedia for research, and how to transition from Google and Wikipedia to Google Scholar and library databases.
If you have trouble accessing this tutorial from off campus, try logging into My.SBCC.edu in a different browser tab, then reloading this page. If that doesn't work, follow the direct red link in the title above to open the tutorial outside of this guide.
