Research Guides: Psychology : Background Information

Background Information

What is background information?

Background information is information that scholars generally agree on. You can find it in your textbook, or in specialized encyclopedias, handbooks, or general knowledge sources.

Why look for background information?

"My professor told me to use journal articles! Why would I look for information I can't cite in my paper?"

Background information will give you a good general idea of what's known on your topic. PLUS, it uses terms that will help you search for relevant articles!

Background by Topics

Professional organizations are a great way to look at what's known about topics that are being researched now.

American Psychological Association: Psychology Topics
See what topics are important to professional Psychologists now.
Association for Psychological Science: Research Topics
Research Topics is a collection of previously published articles, features, and news stories that represent some of APS’s most requested and publicly relevant subjects.

Background Information: Psychology

Credo Reference
Online reference library that provides access to a selection of reference books including encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri, and books of quotations, not to mention a range of subject-specific titles covering everything from art to accountancy and literature to law.
Gale OneFile: Psychology
Provides access to authoritative periodical content supporting research in all fields of psychology: abnormal, biological, cognitive, comparative, developmental, personality, quantitative, social, and all areas of applied psychology. Researchers, psychologists, counselors, and behavioral scientists will discover relevant information from the thoughts, views, discoveries, and reports found in this comprehensive collection.
CQ Researcher
Contains original, comprehensive reporting and analysis on issues in the news, providing in-depth, unbiased coverage of health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the environment, technology, and the economy. Reports are published 44 times a year by CQ Press. Note: There is a limit of 10 concurrent users. Dates of coverage: 1991-current
Comprehensive Clinical Psychology
Information on the scientific status of clinical psychology and its subspecialties, theory, clinical techniques, history of the field, and current thinking about training, professional standards and practices, and socio-cultural factors in mental health and illness.
Encyclopedia of Multicultural Psychology
Presents a thorough overview of the psychology of racial, ethnic, and minority issues in the United States, including contributions from social, developmental, methodological, clinical, industrial/organizational, and health, educational, school, and family psychology.
Psychologists And Their Theories For Students
Coverage of major psychological theories and the people who developed them. Provides an overview of the various schools of psychological thought, from behaviorism to Gestalt theory.