Name______________________________ Class______________________

Background information

In order to begin your research you need 1 minute’s worth of knowledge about your topic. (This means you should be able to talk for one minute about your subject.) *

You need to know important facts related to your research, including:

¨ Names of key people	¨ Keywords
¨ Dates	¨ Definitions
¨ History or development of the topic	¨ Current state of affairs (current issues)
¨ Important events	¨ Any other useful facts

Resources:

Type of Research	Background information sources
Historic topics	General encyclopedias, specialized encyclopedias, biographical dictionaries, other reference books
Recent events or topics	Magazine and newspaper articles, online databases, reliable Internet sites

Research Topic:_____________________________________________________________

Information Source Used:

Author(s)/Editor(s)____________________________________________________________

Title_________________________________________________ ______________________

____Reference Book _____Magazine/Journal Article _____Internet Site

Please complete a “Works Cited Sheet” that corresponds to the type of source you used. Fill it out completely and attach it to this work sheet.

*Badke, William. Research Strategies. San Jose, CA: Writers Club, 2000.

(over)

1. Record key people, events, dates, definitions, etc. on the worksheet below.

2. Entries should be brief. Just record names, dates, an outline of events, short definitions, etc.

3. Save this sheet for your research. It will give you the background information you need to start your research. It may also trigger ideas about related subjects, people, events, etc. that will add depth and perspective to your investigation of the topic.

Key people

Important dates

History or development of the topic

Important events

Keywords (words that might be useful to search under)

Definitions (any concepts that add to your understanding)

Current state of affairs (current events)

Other useful facts