The articles you read and cite in your paper will assume you already know the basic facts about your topic. Basic facts include the people, dates, places, and laws related to the topic. You need to know these facts before you read academic articles to ensure you know what the writers are talking about.
Academic writing may use words and terms for a topic that are different from those we use every day. By researching the background of a topic, you'll learn which terms academic writers use to discuss your topic.
Most students start off with a topic that's too big to cover in a five-page paper. By doing thorough background research, you can identify sub-topics that might be easier to work with.
Use the following examples as a guide for what to type in the Summon search box:
celebrity endorsements AND advertising effectiveness
"color psychology" AND marketing
consumer behavior AND emotional appeals
logos AND brand recognition
music OR jingles AND advertising
humor AND persuasion AND commercials
"public service announcement" AND effectiveness
Once you have a list of results, use the options in the sidebar to refine by:
Date (recent studies or historical context)
Type of resource (scholarly articles, trade publications, books)
Subject (psychology, marketing, communication, media studies)
Summon doesn't have everything! Check out the tabs below to search for more specific types of information. For more help searching, visit the Search Effectively page.
You will typically use reference sources to gather background information about a topic. The following databases are great starting points, but keep in mind that the Library has many more sources for finding background information. Ask a librarian for advice if you are not finding what you need.
Clinical and social psychology articles on topics such as genetics, psychology of business and economics, communication, criminology, addiction, neurology, social welfare, and more.
Includes company, industry, economic, and geopolitical market research.
Article database that covers all disciplines of business, including marketing, management, accounting, banking, finance, and more. Indexing and abstracts and full text are available back as far as 1886.
Includes topics relevant to entrepreneurship and small businesses and offers full text for business journals, magazines and reference books, as well as case studies and company profiles.
NOTE: This does not search all of PCC Library's e-book databases.
Copy and paste this into the database search box to get started:
(advertising OR marketing) AND (consumer behavior OR persuasion OR effectiveness)
Depending on what you are analyzing, you may need to modify your search to focus on specific ad elements, such as:
(celebrity endorsement AND advertising effectiveness)
(color psychology AND marketing)
(emotional appeals AND persuasion)
(logos OR symbols AND brand recognition)
Tip: Use quotation marks for phrases → “consumer behavior,” “emotional appeals.”
Collection of e-books geared specifically towards community college curriculum areas such as allied health, computer technology, and other trades.
Includes authoritative e-books that cover a wide range of subject areas. Most books can be downloaded to various devices.
If you want to browse books in the 2nd floor stacks, head to the following call number sections. These areas cover advertising, consumer psychology, and persuasive communication.
HF – Commerce & Business
HF 5801–6182 → Advertising
HF 5415–5417 → Marketing & Consumer Behavior
BF – Psychology
BF 621–632 → Psychology of Persuasion, Influence
BF 637.C6 → Consumer Psychology
PN – Literature & Mass Media
PN 1990–1999 → Television & Radio Advertising
PN 4735–4748 → Journalism & Propaganda
Ask a librarian for help locating a specific title or topic!
Guide yourself through your background research by answering the following four questions:
Who are the people or groups relevant to your topic? This can include companies or even fictional characters.
Example: If you're writing about video games, this might include gamers, game designers, Hideo Kojima, Blizzard, or Nathan Drake.
What are the major events, laws, controversies, or issues related to your topic?
Example: If researching health care reform, this might include the Affordable Care Act, generic drug prices, or access to care.
When have major events happened to affect your topic? This can include dates, eras, or even age ranges relevant to your topic.
Example: If you're learning about medical marijuana, this might include 1970, or new legislation in the 2000s.
Where?Where are the places most affected by your topic? Which countries, regions, or states? Does your topic affect urban or rural regions more? Is your topic related to something local: Greenville, Pitt County, Eastern North Carolina?
Example: If researching the minimum wage debate, this might include places such as New York City, California, or urban centers.
The username and password to access databases is the same as what you use to log in to myPittCC and Moodle. The username is your entire myPittCC email address (jdstudent000@my.pittcc.edu).
Community logins are available to Pitt County residents with PCC library cards and others who are enrolled in or are affiliated with PCC programs and continuing education courses. Scroll down and look for the "Community Login" section.
