Clark Family Library: Russian History: Find Background Information

Why Use Background Information?

Finding background information is an important part of the research process. It helps you:

learn about topics with which you are unfamiliar
identify important facts related to your topic - keywords, dates, events, history, and names and organizations
refine your topic
find additional sources of information through bibliographies and works cited

Reference Databases

Reviewing the literature or gaining background information on a topic is a critical first step in the research process. You might do this by conducting a Google search or going to Wikipedia and reading up on a subject. We suggest using the reference databases the library subscribes to or books found in the reference section as a scholarly alternative.

Academic Search Ultimate This link opens in a new window
Offers full-text access to over 12,000 journals, including more than 10,000 peer-reviewed titles. A great database to start your research
Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
This database is great for background information. It provides access to more than 630 full-text reference books and over 3 million full-text entries. It covers literary criticism in detail, business, history, Shakespeare, biographies. Credo.
Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Formerly known as Gale Virtual Library (GVRL), this database is an online library of reference eBooks, including many titles from academic book publishers. The database is multidisciplinary with strengths in world and American history, literature, and economics. A great database to start your research.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Full- text of back issues of peer-reviewed journals as far back as the 1800s in the arts, sciences, ecology, botany, language, literature, and music. Multidisciplinary.

News Databases

Use our news databases to find current events articles on your topic. These databases include magazines and newspapers. This is a great way to get some background information, refine your topic, develop keywords, and learn about current events or issues.

Atlantic Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window
The Atlantic Magazine Archive, 1857-2014, covers events and political issues through literary and cultural commentary.
Bloomberg Businessweek Archive This link opens in a new window
Full-text access beginning with the magazine’s first issue in 1929 through 2010.
Economist Historical Archive: 1843-2020 This link opens in a new window
In more than 8,000 issues since its first publication in 1843, The Economist has presented timely reporting, concise commentary and comprehensive analysis of global news every week. With objective authority, clarity and wit, The Economist presents the worlds political, business, scientific, technological and cultural developments and the connections between them. Because of its global editorial perspective, it is read by more of the worlds political and business leaders than any other magazine. The Economist Historical Archive delivers a complete searchable copy of every issue of The Economist from 1843 to 2020. Full-color images, multiple search indexes, and the facility to browse each and every issue - all combine to offer a unique primary source covering the 19th and 20th centuries.
Historical Abstracts with Full-Text This link opens in a new window
Historical Abstracts with Full Text is an exceptional research database covering world history from the 15th century to the present. Coverage extends to related disciplines such as archaeology, anthropology and sociology.
New York Times (Proquest Database) This link opens in a new window
Contains searchable full-text articles from the New York Times newspaper from 1980-present. We also have access to the New York Times through their website which covers back to 1851. Since this content is in a database you may find that it's easier to search and filter than nytimes.com. Content discovered through this database will not have images included but articles through nytimes.com will.
Time Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window
Time Magazine Archive, covering 1923-2000
Wall Street Journal (ProQuest Database) This link opens in a new window
Database contains searchable full-text of articles from 1984 to present from the Wall Street Journal, the world's leading business and financial newspaper. ProQuest.
Wall Street Journal (Website Subscription) This link opens in a new window
Contains full-text articles and images in the WSJ from four years ago to the present. Click the link to create your account. Once your account has been created you are able to access the content by clicking this database link or through the WSJ home page and signing in.