Getting started on your research

Need help at any stage of the research process? You can always Ask a librarian.

In order to conduct any research project well, it helps to approach it in an organized and deliberate fashion. Breaking down your research into a series of steps, such as those listed below, can help you track your progress. Since your growing understanding of a topic will lead you in unforeseen directions, it is unlikely that you will move through these stages in a linear way. Nevertheless, anticipating problems and knowing techniques for addressing these problems at each stage can both improve your work and save you valuable time.

Click on any of the following seven stages of the research process for helpful tips. Click a second time to return to this list.

1. Selecting a topic

Often professors will specify writing topics for assignments, but sometimes you may have the freedom to choose a topic for yourself. It is important that this be a topic that will sustain your interest, but it is also important that you identify a topic:

That you can research sufficiently in the time allowed

That you can research using the tools and resources readily available to you

That you can read about in a language you read well, and

That your professor deems suitable for your assignment

If you’re unsure about the feasibility of your topic, schedule a consultation with your professor or library subject specialist as early as possible.

Key tips

Browse current journals. If you have no idea what you want to write about, it can be a good idea to browse the recent contents of academic journals related to your field of study. These articles can help you think about ways to narrow down your topic. If you find a piece that really interests you, consulting the sources in its bibliography will give you a head start on your reading.

Draft some research questions. When you think about your topic, what questions do you have? Write them down. As you begin reading more, you will be able to refine these questions. Ideally you should narrow your focus to a single question. Knowing what your research question is will help you select good sources and reduce the time you spend reading about tangential matters.

Collect keywords. Off the top of your head, write down a list of keywords relevant to your research question. Test these out in the library catalog or a database suitable for your subject matter. Keep track of these keywords as you continue your research, and highlight the ones that produce the most useful results. Keep trying the most useful keywords as you research your topic using different tools.

Start thinking about your bibliography. If you are preparing to begin a large research project (such as your thesis), it is also good to think about setting up a bibliographic/citation management tool such as Zotero or EndNoteWeb at the beginning of your project. These tools will save you a lot of time when you are rushing to finish later.

2. Collecting background information

Most students unfamiliar with a topic have a difficult time developing a good research question or generating useful keywords. Luckily, there are a wide variety of library reference tools that can help. Although free online tools like Wikipedia can be great for many kinds of topics (such as the most current developments in technology, politics or entertainment) often you can find much richer information in a print or online resource purchased by the library. Here are some ways to search for a good reference tool:

Search the catalog using your keywords and limit your search to reference materials.

Try out the reference tools recommended on the Tri-College Subject Portal for your field.

Ask a librarian for some recommendations.

Common reference tools:

Dictionaries: Just like more familiar English language dictionaries, subject-specific dictionaries define terms and indicated the significance of particular concepts within the context of a particular discipline. If you come across an unfamiliar idea in your reading and want a reliable, quick explanation, dictionaries are great places to go.

Encyclopedias: These reference sources—available on almost any subject area you can imagine—provide more in-depth information in lengthier articles. Typically these articles are cross-referenced with related entries, and include bibliographies of recommended sources. Encyclopedias are great places to look for keywords and to start your bibliography. Of course, since these types of sources take a long time to produce, it is important to pay attention to the publication date, and to do additional searching in databases and indexes for the most current information.

Bibliographies: Book-length bibliographies list, and often annotate, sources relevant to a given subject. They are great places to look both when beginning a search and also to check for sources you might have missed along the way.

Databases and Indexes: Rather than being organized according to a limited number of key concepts, databases allow you to search for a wider variety of terms across an entire body of literature. Some databases are more general in scope, while others are limited to a particular field. Electronic databases can search, and even provide, the full texts of articles. Indexes (both print and electronic) can bring together related articles using subject terms that have been assigned by a professional indexer.

Key tip

When you find one useful reference source, don’t stop there: take a few minutes to browse for other sources in the same general call number range. You can physically browse the reference shelves at your library, or else browse virtually by clicking on the call numbers in a Tripod record.

3. Find books and media in catalogs

4. Use databases and indexes to find articles

5. Find internet resources

Finding information on the internet presents its own special challenges. When you wish to make use of an internet source, ask yourself:

Who is the author of the source?

What qualifications does the author have to give authoritative information on this topic?

Does the author provide citations or references to other sources that back up his or her claims?

Once you are satisfied that your source is reliable, be sure to record the source's web address and the time and date at which you accessed it. This way, you will avoid having to retrace your steps from memory later, and you will minimize the risk that the source might change or disappear before you start writing.

Key tips

If you can’t find something through Google, don’t assume it doesn’t exist. Most of the data on the internet simply cannot be accessed through search engines. Access to much of this material requires the use of fee-based resources, such as those to which our libraries subscribe. And (of course), there is much more that is only available in print! Any time you get stuck with an internet search, you can always ask a librarian for advice.

The single search box isn’t your only option. If you’re searching on a broad topic rather than a specific one and are finding too much irrelevant material, you might want to consider browsing a web directory rather than typing words into a box. A directory only includes sites that have been chosen by editors for their informational value on a particular topic. If search is what you prefer, it's important that you know that there are many different search engines out there. Each one indexes web pages in a different way, and some specialize in a particular subject or domain, so it can pay to try more than one of them.

Don’t be afraid to try an advanced search interface. Taking this extra step can often get you to what you need more quickly. Google and other search engines offer helpful hints about improving your searching on their help pages. These are always worth a look. In addition to booleans, truncation, and finding exact quotations, scholars often find that limiting results to returns within a particular domain (such as ".org", ".gov", or ".edu") eliminates many irrelevant hits.

6. Evaluate resources

7. Cite sources in an appropriate format

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Getting started on your research

1. Selecting a topic

Key tips

2. Collecting background information

Common reference tools:

Key tip

3. Find books and media in catalogs

Key tips

4. Use databases and indexes to find articles

Key tips

5. Find internet resources

Key tips

6. Evaluate resources

Key tips

7. Cite sources in an appropriate format

Key tip

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