Lesson Six
Research Basics
Steps to Successful Research:
Introduction
• This lesson provides tips and information
on how to conduct successful research
using library resources.
• Sometimes it can be difficult to begin a
research paper or project.
• You may not know where to begin or
which resources would be the best.
Steps to Successful Research:
Introduction
• Certain factors affect the research on a paper,
including:
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time constraints
the length of the paper
the paper's hypothesis or main thesis statement
your prior knowledge of the research subject
the style of the paper
the type and number of sources that can be used
and many, many other factors
Steps to Successful Research:
Introduction
• How to start?
– Here are some steps for successful research!
Step 1 to Successful Research –
Review the assignment
• Review the specific assignment to insure
that you understand the instructor's
requirements.
– Before starting your assignment, it is important to
understand the requirements for that assignment.
– It will not matter how wonderful or detailed a job you
do on your assignment if it does not meet with the
approval of your instructor.
Step 1 to Successful Research –
Review the assignment
• Here are some important considerations for an
assignment:
– TOPIC: Has the instructor assigned a topic, either
general or specific?
– PURPOSE: Is this an informational or persuasive
paper, an essay, or another type of paper?
– LENGTH: How many pages are required?
– SOURCES: Are there suggested sources, or
restrictions on the number and type of sources?
– DEADLINE: When is the assignment due?
Step 2 to Successful Research –
Select your topic
• Select Your Topic
– Sometimes this can be a difficult, if not a nail-biting,
decision.
– Your research will be easier, if you select a topic that:
• Interests you, or is something that you want to know more
about
• Meets your instructor's requirements
• Has sufficient information that is readily available
Step 2 to Successful Research –
Select your topic
• You can gather topic ideas from:
– A list of topics assigned by your instructor
– Textbooks or assigned readings
– Preliminary reading in general encyclopedias,
newspapers, or magazines
– Bibliographies in the back of books on your topics
– Also, many electronic databases provide subject term
or topic guide searching
Step 3 to Successful Research –
Refine your topic
• Refine Your Topic From Broad to Narrow
Concepts
– You can narrow your topic by identifying ideas or
concepts included in a broader topic.
• For example, you would like to write a 2-page paper on the
topic of violence. But violence is such a large concept that it
would be difficult to write an all-encompassing paper. It would
be best to narrow this topic down.
• Narrower topics for the subject violence would be topics such
as: violence in the media, domestic violence, or gun control.
Step 3 to Successful Research –
Refine your topic
• Now you try it!
• Below is a listing of related topics. Please
choose the topic that you consider to be
the broadest term.
– Transportation
– Cars
– Vehicles
– Ford Explorer
Step 3 to Successful Research –
Refine your topic
• Transportation is the broadest term.
Step 3 to Successful Research –
Refine your topic
• Now, choose the topic that you consider to
be the narrowest term.
– Plants
– Flowers
– Petunias
– Agriculture
Step 3 to Successful Research –
Refine your topic
• Petunias is the narrowest term.
Step 3 to Successful Research –
Refine your topic
• Here are some sources that can help you
narrow your topic:
– Library catalogs, databases, encyclopedias,
newspapers, or magazine articles
Step 3 to Successful Research –
Refine your topic
• Example: the online catalog
– If you perform a library catalog search for the
topic "violence" you will retrieve the following:
– Crimes of violence, children and violence,
conjugal violence, and other terms.
Step 3 to Successful Research –
Refine your topic
• Example: databases, newspapers, and
magazine articles
– If you perform a search for the topic "violence"
using the databases Academic Search
Premier®, MasterFILE Premier®, and
Newspaper Source® from the EBSCOhost
Web®, you will retrieve:
– Over 100,000 articles.
Step 3 to Successful Research –
Refine your topic
• Example: encyclopedia
– If you search for the word "violence" in the
World Book Encyclopedia®, you will be
referred to the following subjects: crime,
revolution, riot, and terrorism
Step 3 to Successful Research –
Refine your topic
• Once you decide on your topic, the topic
should be written as a thesis statement, or
short sentence that:
– Defines the main idea of your paper
– States what you will describe or prove in your
paper
Step 4 to Successful Research:
Plan Your Search Strategy
• It is very helpful to map out the main ideas of
your topic. This can be useful in the search for
information.
• Make a list of keywords related to your topic
using:
– Main ideas
– Synonyms or words with the same or similar meaning
Step 4 to Successful Research:
Plan Your Search Strategy
• Develop search terms:
– Start with one search term, even though your results may be too
broad, then
– Add a second search term with the Boolean Operators AND or
OR.
• AND narrows a search; results are limited to materials that include
all of the specified text
• OR broadens a search; results are materials that include any of the
search terms in the text.
– Even though OR broadens rather than narrows your topic, its use is
important especially when attempting to include all aspects of your
topic, e.g.:
» Physicians OR Doctors
» Lawyers OR Attorneys
– Add additional search terms as needed
Step 5 to Successful Research:
Gather Sources
• Sources to use for an overview of a topic:
– General encyclopedias, e.g. Encyclopedia
Americana®
– Specialized encyclopedias, e.g. Encyclopedia
of Drama®
– Specialized dictionaries. e.g. Dictionary of
Classical Mythology®
– General interest periodicals (magazines and
newspapers)
Step 5 to Successful Research:
Gather Sources
• Sources to use for specialized information:
– Books (search the online catalog for specific titles;
browse call number location for related titles)
– Scholarly journals (journals published for academics
or professionals; the library's holdings include print
journals and electronic databases with full text)
– Internet (use caution with this source; you must
evaluate Internet sources for credibility, authority, and
currency)
Step 5 to Successful Research:
Gather Sources
• Let's review! Which source or sources
would be the best for each of the following:
A report that covers current events?
Step 5 to Successful Research:
Gather Sources
• Magazines, journals, and newspapers
would have the most current, reliable
information. The Internet is current, but
you would need to be careful about the
reliability!
Step 5 to Successful Research:
Gather Sources
• Which source or sources would have an
overview of a topic?
Step 5 to Successful Research:
Gather Sources
• An encyclopedia or other reference
book would provide a ready source of
fast, reliable information.
Step 5 to Successful Research:
Gather Sources
• Which source or sources would provide
research on current, general information?
Step 5 to Successful Research:
Gather Sources
• A popular magazine or newspaper
would provide research for this kind of
topic.
Step 5 to Successful Research:
Gather Sources
• Which source would be best for in-depth,
scholarly information?
Step 5 to Successful Research:
Gather Sources
• A scholarly, peer-reviewed journal
would provide information for this type of
topic.
Step 5 to Successful Research:
Gather Sources
• Keep track of sources used for citing
documentation:
– Write down all the publication information,
pages used, etc.
– Know what style format is required for
citations (example: APA)
• With your research completed, you are
ready to start writing your paper!!
For More Information About
Research Basics...
• Here are some Web sites that provide additional
information about starting a research paper.
– Research 101:
(http://www.lib.washington.edu/uwill/research101/topic00.htm).
This is an excellent tutorial developed by the University Libraries
of the University of Washington. There are several segments.
This particular segment describes how to choose and focus on a
research topic.
– Research & Writing: Step By Step is a resource created by as
part of the Teen Space @ the Internet Public Library that
provides information and tips on how to write a research paper.
This Web site can be found at
(http://www.ipl.org/div/aplus/stepfirst.htm).