Your best bet if you need to verify a fact or know little about your topic and need to educate yourself is a type of publication called a reference work. This can be a dictionary, encyclopedia, etc. Encylopedias present the basic facts and an overview of a topic.
Reference sources such as encyclopedias provide an overview so you can gain a working knowledge on your topic. YOU ARE PROBABLY NOT GOING TO INCLUDE THESE AS REFERENCES ON YOUR PAPER, but you can use them to introduce you to your topic.