Use reference materials to find background information. Reference books can help you:
Need some more background information about that new concept you learned in class today? Writing a paper on a topic that's new to you? Not sure what topic to choose for your paper? Answer yes to any of these questions, and a subject-specific encyclopedia is the thing for you.
Wikipedia is a common starting point for many people researching a new topic, but unlike scholarly subject-specific encyclopedias, most professors will not allow you to cite Wikipedia in your bibliography. View this video tutorial, Wikipedia: Beneath the Surface, from North Carolina State University Libraries for more information about how Wikipedia works and its information quality.
Blackwell encyclopedia of sociology online by 
The Concise Encyclopedia of Sociology by 
Elgar encyclopedia of environmental sociology by 
Elgar encyclopedia of political sociology by 
The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social Theory by 
The Blackwell Companion to Major Classical Social Theorists by 
The Blackwell Companion to Major Contemporary Social Theorists by 
Classical Social Theory and Modern Society by 
Neglected Social Theorists of Color by 
