Research is the persevering, thorough study into a subject that requires time and effort on your part. It is a cyclical process that is presented as a step-by-step activity. It is usually associated with careful investigation of many different resource tools and visits to a library.

Conducting research is not a simple task, it cannot be done overnight. You should begin as soon as the project is assigned. Creating a realistic timeline will give you sense of direction to the entire process of research. This involves detailing all the tasks to be done and the time to be consumed in doing each particular task. This will allow you sufficient time to sort through the different resource tools or to consult with a librarian if assistance is needed. Check your timeline periodically to see if the tasks are being accomplished and make necessary adjustments throughout the progress of the research and its writing stages.

Select a topic of interest to you, or if the topic is assigned to you, seek out an aspect of the assigned topic that is of interest to you. Select an original topic. If you are having trouble choosing a topic, you can find suggestions in the variety of reference sources such as encyclopedias and bibliographies.

After you have selected a topic, determine the purpose and focus of your research. Also, develop a topic statement. Try to write one or two full sentences describing the purpose of your research. For example:


Topic: The emerging value of librarians in the digital age.


Initial topic statement: Do librarians today still have relative worth in the age of information technology?


Final Topic statement: The librarians do still have value in the age of information technology.

Next, identify the keywords or concepts that describe your topic and prepare an outline. For example, the keywords identified from the above topic statement are:

Keywords: librarians, digital age, information technology, emerging value

Search the keywords identified from your topic statement to find information on your topic.

Try to find basic information on your topic. Using keywords developed in STEP 2, search information in:

Reference Materials, such as encyclopedias, bibliographies, directories.

Library Catalog, for books and library resources on your topic.

Serials Collection, for articles on your topic

Online Databases, for databases on your topic

In order to find the resources for your research topic, you will need to make use of a variety of research tools. When searching for information, be sure to keep a record of what research tools you search, and also the keywords or topic words you used in your search. In this way, you will avoid repetition.

Library Catalog – used to find books and journals, dictionaries and encyclopedias available in the library.

Periodical Indexes – used to find articles from journals, magazines, and newspapers.

Online Database Search Tools – used to find multi-disciplinary databases.

In this step, you need to determine the relevancy of the sources you used which can help you decide as to what books and articles will best support your topic. A well-defined topic is important. You will eliminate a number of irrelevant materials by having a clear idea of what you need. Once you have a list of your sources, you will need to evaluate what you have found. There are five criteria you need to consider in evaluating information sources:

1. AUTHORITY
• Can you identify the author of the article or book?
• Is the author an expert in the field?
• Is the source an acknowledged authority?
• Can you identify the publisher?
• If so, is this a well-respected or well-known publishing house for the topic being searched?
2. ACCURACY
• Are the sources for factual information given so they can be verified?
• Is the information correct?
• Are there inconsistencies in the information, particularly statistical data?
3. OBJECTIVITY
• Is the presentation objective?
• Or is the viewpoint biased?
4. CURRENCY
• Is the material up-to-date?
5. COVERAGE
• Is the information presented complete or is data missing?

Sometimes answers to these questions are obvious. You can consult biographic indexes and dictionaries, book reviews, and other materials to assist you in evaluating your sources.

Now that you have compiled and evaluated the results obtained through various searches, you are ready to start writing your research paper. This final step in the research process is comprised of the actual drafting, writing and revising.

Whenever you are doing research you need to keep a record of all the materials you use. Write down the complete citation, including the author, title, publication, date, page numbers, and other information. Format the citations in your bibliography using examples from the American Psychological Association (APA) standards.