The box linked above is called the Discovery Search box. It searches most of the Library databases simultaneously, resulting in a wide range of sources including ebooks; magazine, scholarly journal and newspaper articles; streamed films; special reports; trade publications; and research starters. (Scroll down to the bottom of this page for a short video modeling a search using Discovery.) Research starters are also called reference sources because they provide background information, history, and context for topics, serving as strong starting points for research. With a simple one or two-word search, the first item in the result list will often be a "research starter." These articles will also offer ideas for subtopics and related topics. Adding an additional term(s) to your search to narrow it will result in articles from various types of sources as listed above. This is helpful, since the EDU 100 research project requires you to find information in various formats.
The individual databases linked below also serve as research starters and may also provide useful background information.