It’s always a good idea to find more information about a possible topic. This is called doing background research, which helps you develop a more effective topic and brainstorm ideas for better search terms or keywords. Use these strategies for doing background research:
Books often cover subjects broadly, to give readers an overview. Textbooks and encyclopedias, in particular, are written for those who are new to a topic -- they make a good starting point when you need to familiarize yourself with a subject.
Popular articles (like those from magazines and newspapers) are typically written for a general audience, without too much technical language. This makes them a good place to start when you need a leg-up with a new topic.
If you're a visual learner, watching a video can be a great way to get up to speed with a topic that's new to you. The library subscribes to several multimedia databases, and collects many more that are freely available (and trustworthy).
