Study Skills Support
The Research Process
In order to make a decision on a given course of action and choose between
several alternatives, you must clearly recognise the problem to be solved or
opportunity to be seized. You will then have to determine the information that is
already available and what further information is required as well as the best
approach for obtaining it. The information obtained must be assessed objectively
to help inform the decision. This systematic approach to decision-making is
referred to as the research process.
The research process involves a number of phases which are not always
completely linear since research is iterative (earlier phases influence later ones,
while later ones can influence the earlier phases). Perhaps one of the most
important characteristics of a good researcher is the unwillingness to take
shortcuts, to rush through the research. It is important to keep an open mind to
recognise changes that must be accommodated to ensure the reliability and
validity of the research.
There are many models available concerning how to conduct a research process.
The process presented here is only one of many.
7 Steps
The following seven steps outline a simple and effective strategy for finding
information for a research paper and documenting the sources you find.
Depending on your topic and your familiarity with the library, you may need to
rearrange or recycle these steps. Adapt this outline to your needs.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Identify & develop the topic
Find background information
Use catalogues to find books and media
Use indexes to find periodical articles
Find internet resources
Evaluate your findings
Cite your findings using a recognised style
Step 1: Identify & develop the topic
State your topic as a question. For example, if you are interested in finding out
about use of alcoholic beverages by college students, you might pose the
For more help contact Study Skills Support: studyskills@bbk.ac.uk, 0207 631 6683
www.bbk.ac.uk/studyskills
question, "What effect does use of alcoholic beverages have on the health of
college students?" Identify the main concepts or keywords in your question.
Step 2: Find background information
Look up your keywords in the indexes to subject encyclopaedias. Read articles in
these encyclopaedias to set the context for your research. Note any relevant
items in the bibliographies at the end of the encyclopaedia articles. Additional
background information may be found in your lecture notes, textbooks, and
readings.
Step 3: Use catalogues to find books & media
Use keyword searching for a narrow or complex search topic. Use subject
searching for a broad subject. Print or write down the citation (author, title, etc.)
and the location information (call number and library). Note the circulation status.
When you pull the book from the shelf, scan the bibliography for additional
sources. Watch for book-length bibliographies and annual reviews on your
subject; they list citations to hundreds of books and articles in one subject area.
Check the standard subject subheading "--BIBLIOGRAPHIES," or titles beginning
with Annual Review of... in the Birkbeck Library Catalogue.
Step 4: Use indexes to find periodical articles
Use periodical indexes and abstracts to find citations to articles. The indexes and
abstracts may be in print or computer-based formats or both. Choose the indexes
and format best suited to your particular topic; ask at the reference desk if you
need help figuring out which index and format will be best. You can find periodical
articles by the article author, title, or keyword by using the periodical indexes in
the Library Gateway. If the full text is not linked in the index you are using, write
down the citation from the index and search for the title of the periodical in the
Birkbeck Library Catalogue. The catalogue lists the print, microform, and
electronic versions of periodicals at Birkbeck.
Step 5: Find internet resources
Use search engines (Google, Ask, Alta Vista, etc) and subject directories to locate
materials on the Web. Check to see if your class has a bibliography or research
guide created by librarians.
Step 6: Evaluate your findings
See How to Critically Analyse Information Sources and Distinguishing
Scholarly from Non-Scholarly Periodicals: A Checklist of Criteria (My
Birkbeck research skills
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/services/facilities/support/research-skills ) for
suggestions on evaluating the authority and quality of the books and articles you
located. If you have found too many or too few sources, you may need to narrow
or broaden your topic. Check with a reference librarian or your lecturer.
Step 7: Cite your findings using a recognised style
For more help contact Study Skills Support: studyskills@bbk.ac.uk, 0207 631 6683
www.bbk.ac.uk/studyskills
Give credit where credit is due; cite your sources. Citing or documenting the
sources used in your research serves two purposes: it gives proper credit to the
authors of the materials used, and it allows those who are reading your work to
duplicate your research and locate the sources that you have listed as references.
Knowingly representing the work of others as your own is plagiarism. (See My
Birkbeck website
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/services/facilities/support/plagiarism ). Use
one of the styles listed below or another style approved by your lecturer.
Available online:
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
Cornell University Library gateway guide to citation tools and styles
http://www.library.cornell.edu/services/citing.html
Harvard (author/date style)
http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/library/citing_references/docs/Citing_Refs
.pdf – Bournemouth University
American Psychological Association (APA)
http://library.curtin.edu.au/research_and_information_skills/referencing/a
pa.pdf – Curtin University of Technology, Australia
Modern Language Association (MLA) examples
http://campusgw.library.cornell.edu/newhelp/res_strategy/citing/mla.html
Style guides in print (book) format:
o
o
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th
ed. New York: MLA, 2003. This handbook is based on the MLA Style
Manual and is intended as an aid for college students writing
research papers. Included here is information on selecting a topic,
researching the topic, note taking, the writing of footnotes and
bibliographies, as well as sample pages of a research paper. Useful
for the beginning researcher.
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 5th
ed. Washington: APA, 2001. The authoritative style manual for
anyone writing in the field of psychology. Useful for the social
sciences generally. Chapters discuss the content and organisation
of a manuscript, writing style, the American Psychological
Association citation style, and typing, mailing and proofreading.
If you are writing an annotated bibliography, see How to Prepare an
Annotated Bibliography.
Research tips
Work from the general to the specific. Find background information first, then
use more specific and recent sources.
Record what you find and where you found it. Set up a system to record the
complete citation for each source you find; you may need it again later.
Translate your topic into the subject language of the indexes and catalogues you
use. Check your topic words against a thesaurus or subject heading list.
Need help clarifying your topic? Need ideas about where to look next? Want to
be sure you're using a reference source effectively? Ask a librarian.
For more help contact Study Skills Support: studyskills@bbk.ac.uk, 0207 631 6683
www.bbk.ac.uk/studyskills
Adapted with permission:
Reference Department
Collections, Reference, Instruction & Outreach (CRIO)
Cornell University Library
Ithaca, NY, USA
http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill1.htm
Links
British Library Public Catalogue
http://catalogue.bl.uk/F/?func=file&file_name=login-bl-list – Lists over 13 million
items in the library’s collection.
Copac Academic & National Library Catalogue http://copac.ac.uk/ – Gives
free access to the merged online catalogues of major University and National
Libraries in the UK and Ireland, including the British Library.
Birkbeck e-Library http://www.bbk.ac.uk/lib/elib/
Birkbeck Library Catalogue http://ipac.lib.bbk.ac.uk/#focus
London Public Libraries http://www.londonlibraries.org/servlets/libraries/public
Evaluating Web Pages
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html –
University of California Berkeley Library’s tutorial to finding and evaluating
information on the internet, USA.
Internet Research Skills http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/education/0083040-e.html – Library & Archives Canada – Includes choosing the right tools for
searching the web and evaluating internet sources.
Library Research Roadmap http://www.library.yorku.ca/roadmap/ – York
University, Canada.
Evaluating Information Found on the Internet
http://www.library.jhu.edu/researchhelp/general/evaluating/ – Johns Hopkins
University Sheridan Libraries, USA.
For more help contact Study Skills Support: studyskills@bbk.ac.uk, 0207 631 6683
www.bbk.ac.uk/studyskills