Research Process

Finding sources

Beginning stage:

• Brainstorm what information you need. List as many questions as you can think of. Star important questions.

• This is your skimming stage.

• Get basic overview from encyclopedia or Wikipedia. If you use Wikipedia, however, check the references carefully. Make sure the Wikipedia article is citing sources that are credible, meaning they come from news organizations, academic journals, first-person accounts, or institutions that you can investigate. Follow the hyperlinked source. Add to your questions & vocab list.

•  Warning: If you decide to start with a general Google search, note that there is no fact-checking associated with Google. Before you read the page, open a second tab on your window and Google the author, website, or organization publishing the material. You have to become the fact-checker and must dig deep to determine the bias, accuracy, and substance of the information. This is called "Lateral Reading."

• Log on to ProQuest. Type some of your search terms in the search bar-always check the boxes "full text" and "peer reviewed. Note that you can adjust the dates your sources were published. Is your topic timely? Adjust the publication date once your initial results are revealed, or give advanced search a try!

Reassess

• Pause to reassess your topic (do you still like it?). 

• Refine your research question. Can you make it more specific?

• Consider what search terms are going to fit your topic best.

Digging deeper stage:

• Identify questions and subtopics to develop your expertise.

• Dive into deeper research. Consider using:

  • ProQuest - it will be your best friend. 

  • Newspapers with strong reporting and fact-checking- such as your NY Times free subscription! Note that there is bias in all human endeavors and check where your source fits in the bias spectrum.

  • Academic journals with expertise in your topic

  • Webcasts, podcasts, videos, interviews - these are often primary sources and can be incredibly useful. 

• Stepping stone sources are very important -- sources that lead you to more authoritative, analytical sources.

Evaluate the credibility of sources

• Identify whether the author or organization is a trusted expert on the topic you are researching. This means the source has a good reputation and reliable information. Reputation and reliability come from the fact that a source consistently follows ethics around how it creates, shares, and corrects its information.

• You can prove credibility if you can explain evidence of reputation, mission/purpose, methodology and expertise. Other evidence to consider could include recency, bias and level of opinion vs. facts.

• Questions you should ask to see if websites are credible:

  • Who is the author or organization? Can I trust them? What is their reputation? What is their purpose?

  • What type of source is this? What does that tell me about the source's purpose and reputation?

  • Where did the information come from? Did they get it from credible sources?

  • Is this information from the date range that fits my topic?

Reading & taking notes

Before you read:

• Read the first paragraph, all headings & subheadings. Identify the main focus of the article.

As you read:

• Focus on a chunk -- usually 2-5 paragraphs.

• Read the chunk and summarize the main idea and 2-3 supporting ideas

• Decide whether you want to take full notes at this point or jot down a few ideas.

• Only read a few chunks (a total of 2 pages). Then stop and take notes or talk to your partner about reading.

After you read:

• Take notes to remember important points from the reading.

• Write down the quote (usually 2-3 sentences) from the article.

• Summarize the main idea.

• Connect the idea to your research question. Identify questions that you still have. Flag sources you might want to follow.

• Stepping stone sources are very important -- how can this source lead you to other important sources?