What is background information?
Background information provides basic facts, history, descriptions and concepts about your topic. Use only the information that you find useful in starting your research. You can always return to your sources if you need more in-depth information as you get deeper into your research topic.
Credo Database: A Great Place for Background Info!
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Oakton Library Resources for Computer Science Research
Begin your research by looking up your keywords in an online dictionary, encyclopedia or reference book.
Credo Reference helps you build your research vocabulary with dictionaries, glossaries, thesauri, and other reference materials.
- Credo Reference - All Subjects Search This link opens in a new windowContains dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries, thesauri, encyclopedias, quotations and atlases, plus a wide range of subject-specific titles.
- Britannica Academic This link opens in a new windowBasic introduction to over 75,000 different topics, including encyclopedia articles, maps, news, definitions, and statistics. Includes a dictionary/thesaurus, media (photographs & selected audio/video files), famous quotations, country profiles, selected websites, and news articles.
- Nexis Uni This link opens in a new windowProvides access to full-text news, business, and legal publications using a variety of flexible search options. Access over 15,000 news, business, and legal sources.
- Gale Encyclopedia of Science This link opens in a new windowCovers all major areas of science, engineering, technology, as well as mathematics and the medical and health sciences, while providing a comprehensive overview of current scientific knowledge and technology. Entries typically describe scientific concepts, provide overviews of scientific areas and, in some cases, define terms.
- Science Online This link opens in a new windowPresents a broad range of scientific disciplines through extensive definitions, essays, diagrams, biographies, and experiments. Under "Topic Centers" click on "Computer Science" for subject-specific overviews.
- Salem Press eBooks This link opens in a new windowOnline access to selected Salem Press titles, including Principles of Programming & Coding, Principles of Robotics & Artificial Intelligence, and Principles of Information Technology.