Add Background

This section should include a few paragraphs of information on the device’s background and history.

What specific information should your Background section include? Check out What Information Should I Include in the Background Section? to help steer your research.

This section, like all of your work, should be written completely in your own words. Although you may find websites that have great descriptions of your device, do not copy and paste these descriptions into your device page, as this is plagiarism. Of course, you’re free to use these websites for reference (don’t forget to credit the source).

Keep in mind the following:

• Avoid marketing and sales language. Your text shouldn’t sound like a pitch. You are not trying to persuade readers to buy this device.

• Tell us about the device. What are its main uses? For device pages covering generic categories such as laptops, include the history of the device category and its current uses/status.

• Check out sites like Wikipedia or search Google using the device/manufacturer/category to see what you can glean.

• If you make any references to outside sources like Wikipedia in your background, include a link to it in your text.

• Avoid using exact phrases or quotes, as this may be penalized by search engines as plagiarism.

• For manufacturer pages (ex. Lenovo Laptops, HP Laptops) it’s useful to list some or all of the popular product lines the brand offers. For laptop product lines (ex. Lenovo ThinkPad), list the most popular devices in the line or any sub-brands that may exist.

• Check out this handy-dandy section of the Technical Writing Project's Student FAQ for helpful tips on what to include here.