If you haven't done research in a while, this is an overview of the basic research process.
CHOOSE TOPIC
- Choose area of interest (topic selection)
GENERAL OVERVIEW
- Gain a general overview of the subject -- do this by consulting Reference books and other relevant books.
NARROW TO RESEARCH QUESTION
- Narrow the subject into a specific research question (& start an outline)
TYPE & AMOUNT OF INFO
- Decide what type: books, articles, essays, reports, studies, statistics, primary
sources, conference proceedings, & dissertations,
- The amount of information – depends of length of paper
- What types of sources might have that information: indexes, catalogs,
bibliographies, & web search tools – these all provide lists of information
sources.
CHOOSE ACCESS TOOLS & SEARCH
- Choose appropriate “access” tools
- - Library catalogs for books, audio/visual, etc.
- - Periodical indexes for journal & magazine articles (see Research
databases)
- - Research databases for a combination of periodicals, books, essays,
encyclopedias, & other information resources
- - Internet directories or indexes, search engines, mega/metasearch
engines, webliographies or web gateways for web pages
- Develop a search strategy for each tool - Conduct a search
EXAMINE RESULTS
- Examine the results of your search & select only the most relevant and
credible sources
EVALUATE SOURCES
- Read, take notes, evaluate sources
REPEAT AS NECESSARY
- Revise, refine and repeat steps 1-7 as needed (making corrections,
adjustments to your strategy or backtrack to a previous search statement
When you are searching for information, your search takes one of two paths. You are searching for a 'known item' or an 'unknown item.' A known item is any part of a citation: an author, title, etc. If you are searching for an unknown item, you need information about something, like attachment theory, and you are looking for citations on this topic. A bibliography is a list of 'known items.'