Before you begin searching for supporting scholarly literature on your research topic, I would recommend having a general understanding of your topic. This will help you to understand the context within scholarly articles and books. The library has sources dedicated to covering background information on a particular topic. These sources are written by scholars and professionals in the field but are designed to be read by an audience without any prior information. You can use the following resources to find this basic information about your topic:
A database of full-text encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research. Gale
Designed specifically for public libraries, this multidisciplinary database provides full text for more than 2,000 general reference publications with full text information dating as far back as 1922. Covering virtually every subject area of general interest, it also contains full text for more than 1,000 reference books and over 164,400 primary source documents, as well as an Image Collection of over 502,000 photos, maps & flags. EBSCO
A federally sponsored information clearinghouse for research, policy, and practice related to criminal and juvenile justice and drug control. Provides access to citations found in a database of journal articles, reports, books and audiovisual material on criminal justice with coverage from the 1970s. Also includes links to open access reports and information. Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice
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