Background information sources

Background information sources give basic and introductory information, intended mainly for students and non-experts in a discipline.  They give information in a clearer, not as technically-demanding way, good for students just getting started and for review later on in your studies.

First off: Wikipedia is NOT an academic source and therefore should NOT be sited as a source in your paper.

That being said, it can be a helpful sourse of background information, vocabulary, and other usable sources on your topic.  The video below will help you learn how to use Wikipedia appropriately in an academic context.