Can you readily define the terms you're working with? Understanding your vocabulary will help you throughout the entire process.
Once you have chosen a topic, it's time to do your preliminary background research. After all, you need to know what you are getting yourself into before developing your thesis statement! Some good questions to start your background research with are:
Not sure where to start?
These REFERENCE SOURCES will help you get a general overview of your topic (look for print Reference books in the Information Commons).
Subscription resources are available to Fontbonne students, faculty, & staff. Guests are welcome to visit us at the library.
Keywords are an important tool for finding quality background information on your topic. There are several ways to go about finding your topic's keywords.
Once you have some great keywords, use them to search reference materials! Try the Fontbonne reference sources listed on this page.