Research Essentials

Finding and Identifying a Topic

Here are some suggestions for finding a topic:

• Discuss your ideas with your lecturers
• Look over the index/article titles in a specialized encyclopedia that relates to your relevant subject or discipline

To identify a research topic, you can follow these steps:

1. State your topic idea as a question
2. Identify the main concepts or keywords in your question
3. Think of search terms, synonyms and alternative terms for your topic
4. Look for background information in general reference sources (encyclopedias, dictionaries)

Useful Links to information on finding and identifying a research topic

• Defining a Topic - SAGE Research Methods
• How to select a research topic - University of Michigan-Flint
• Selecting a Research Topic: Overview - MIT Libraries
• Choosing a Research Problem - University of Southern California
• Finding A Research Topic - Liberty University
• Selecting Topics: Finding the Right Topic - Shatford Library
• Choosing a Topic - Purdue Online Writing Lab
• Finding and Narrowing Your Topic - BYU Library
• Finding Research Topic Ideas - University of Alberta Libraries
• Find topic ideas & overviews - Reynolds Libraries
• Research Topics: How to Select & Develop - Benedictine University
• Finding a topic - Everett Library, Queens University of Charlotte
• Finding a research topic - University of Wollongong Australia
• Finding Research Topics - ASU Library

Finding Materials

Books

Books are helpful when you need a broad overview of a research topic and/or an in-depth look of a research topic. By contrast, books may not be as helpful when your research topic is very recent and fairly narrow.

To find books available in EIU Library, you can visit https://lib.eiu.edu.vn/. For more information on how to search using the Library Catalog, visit here.

Articles

Periodicals are helpful when your research topic is very recent and fairly narrow. Periodical articles may not be as helpful when you need a broad overview of a research topic and/or an in-depth look of a research topic.

Scholarly/Academic Journal Articles are written by experts and scholars in their specific fields. They are in-depth and lengthy, use specialized language, and include figures and long bibliographies. Academic Journal Articles may be referred/peer-reviewed by experts and scholars before getting approved for publication.

The EIU Library have collaborate with Central Library VNU HCM to provide library user access to a variety of online database, including content from journals, newspapers, and other materials such as: ACS (American Chemical Society), Science Direct, SpringerLink, MathSciNet, OECD, ProQuest, Springer Open, GALE Databases - Cengage Learning, AccessEngineering, AccessScience,...

You can access these database from the EIU campus or at home by logging in your Central Library VNU HCM Account. If you have not registered for Central Library VNU HCM Account, please contact the Circulation Desk (Level 3, Block 4).

What if EIU Library doesn't have it?

If EIU Library does not own the materials you are looking for, you can:

• Request Materials or Inter-Library Loan
• Contact the Librarian

Evaluating Sources

For example, if you are interested in finding out about Compensation and Job performance in the banking sector, you might pose the question, "How did compensation influence job performance in banking sector?" These are potential search terms in this case, such as "compensation," "job performance," and "banking sector".

Try to consider different perspectives of your topic and pick the one that is not too narrow or too broad. A topic that is too broad will make you overwhelmed by the huge amount of materials you would find. A topic that is too narrow will make you frustrated by the small amount of material available. But don't worry. As you move through your research process, you can narrow, broaden, or even change your topic.

It's advisable to choose resources wisely. You should make the most of your time by selecting reliable resources that match your assignment requirements or research purpose. Watch the following short videos from Georgian College Library to learn how to evaluate different types of sources.

Ask yourself the following questions to evaluate the relevance of what you find.

• Is the author identified? What are the author's credentials in this area? Have you seen the author's name cited in other bibliographies?
• Is it a university press or a large reputable publisher?
• Who is the intended audience?
• Is the information too technical, too advanced, or just right for your demand?
• Is the treatment scholarly or popular?
• Is there evidence of bias? Is the information well-researched or is it unsupported by evidence?
• Is the source of the information clearly stated?
• Is it original?
• Is the source out of date? Is the information current for your topic?
• Is this site linked to often by other sites? Do most of the links on the page work?

Helpful Links to information on evaluating sources

• CRAAP Test: Tips on Evaluating Sources - California State University, Chico
• Evaluating Sources - Everett Library, Queens University of Charlotte
• Criteria for evaluating sources - Reynolds Libraries
• Critically Evaluating Information - University of Alberta Libraries
• Evaluating Credibility - BYU Library
• Evaluating Information - University of Michigan-Flint
• Evaluating Sources - USC Libraries
• Evaluate and Analyze Information and Sources - Benedictine University