Begin Presearch

What Is Presearch?

"Presearch" means finding background information about your topic so you understand the context and the 5 Ws: Who, What, When, Where, Why.

This information is called an overview of your topic.

Ask yourself:

• What do you already know about your topic?
• What else would you like to know?
• Find an overview of your topic. If you cannot find an overview, your topic might be too narrow.

Resource: The Presearch Organizer

This organizer will guide you step-by-step through presearch.

Construct an Outline of Your Topic ("Tell the Story")

Once you have an overview of your topic, it can be helpful to create an outline of the basic events, context, and timeline.

You can think of this as "telling the story" of your topic, or the way you would summarize your topic to someone in a brief ride on an elevator (this is known as an "elevator speech."

Resource: Historical Context Graphic Organizer: This tool can help you construct an outline and tell the story of your topic.