MGH Guides: Speech Language Pathology Doctorate: Answering Background Questions

Answering Background Questions

Background questions tend to fall into two categories

Informational questions that fill in general answers for someone new to a topic.
Questions that help you explain why your topic is of importance, the kind of information that would appear in the "Background" section of your paper.

Answers to background questions are often found in secondary and tertiary sources, such as review articles and clinical guidelines, textbooks, and reference materials (e.g. encyclopedias, etc.). Sources for statistics (e.g. the National Center for Health Statistics) are also a common source

Here are a few specific sources you might find helpful.

ASHA
This an other trustworthy organizations are great places to get background information about conditions and interventions. Don't forget about other health related organizations like the International Dyslexia Association or Massachusetts General Hospital.
Department of Health and Human Services
This agency has just about all of the health related agencies under its umbrella including the CDC, NIH, and CMS just to name a few. These sources are great for background info and especially helpful for data and statistics.
UpToDate
UpToDate is a point-of-care resource for health information. You can find basic information about conditions and diseases as well as evidence summaries for diagnosis, intervention, prognosis.
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Medline Plus
MedlinePlus is the National Institutes of Health's Web site for information about diseases, conditions, and wellness issues.
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Locating Literature Reviews

Literature reviews are great places to start your search for information. They provide an overview of current research and can help you identify vocabulary for your searches.

Searching for Reviews in PubMed

1. Search for your topic.

2. Select Review from the filters in the left sidebar.

Searching for Reviews in CINAHL

1. Search for your topic.

2. Look at the Refine Results column on the left and select Show More.

3. Select Review in the Publications box and then Search.