Tutorials & Guides : The
Research Process
The Research Process can be broken down into five steps:
1) Define your question or research topic:
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Find background information to give you an initial understanding of your topic.
Check encyclopedias, textbooks, or review articles.
Search the Library Catalog and e-books collections for books. Use a database in your subject area to search for review articles. Check to see if there is a subject guide on your topic. |
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Use the background information you find to narrow your topic to an answerable question. |
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Identify main concepts and key words associated with your question. |
2) Define your information needs:
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Once you have formulated your question, consider which information sources will help you research it.
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Will you need books, articles, or both? Books are a good place to start when you need background information and overviews. Scholarly articles usually convey the latest research on a topic. |
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Do you need to use primary or secondary literature? Scholarly or popular? Ask a librarian for more information about these kinds of resources. |
3) Develop and test your search strategy:
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Select the appropriate tools to locate the resource types you have identified. |
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Start your search using using broad terms. For instance, use plant extracts instead of lavender. |
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Refine your search by using appropriate Boolean operators, limiters, and/or truncation. Ask a librarian for information about using these tools. |
4) Evaluate the information you find:
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If your results are not satisfactory you may need to revise your search strategy. Try searching synonyms for the keywords you originally identified. Also, see what results you get by using narrower or broader search terms. |
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When you have obtained resources on your topic, ask yourself if they are current, reliable, and authoritative. |
5) Summarize, organize, and write your paper:
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Summarize the information you retrieved. |
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Organize the information in a logical and useful way and create a paper outline. |
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Present the information in a way that supports the assignment. |
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Cite your sources. |
A final note:
Doing research is process of
starting with a broad
question, narrowing, and defining
this into a specific question, then
gathering the information to answer this
question. You may need to redefine
your question and repeat the steps above as you refine and update your project.
If you are stuck ask a librarian.