Starting Your Research
Identifying a Topic
Starting your research usually begins with either finding a topic or being given a topic. Often, we are found that the general topic has been provided for us by instructors or in our personal life, some event or new piece of information that we need to further investigate. Still, a general topic is not narrow enough to do research for most assignments nor is it very feasible to write a paper on a very broad topic.
As an example, consider the topic of environmental impact of agriculture. On the surface, this may seem like a fairly narrow topic but take a look at Wikipedia. There's a ton of subsections! We can see already that we need to really focus our topic even more (See Image 01).
Each one of these subsections can have a ton more areas you can focus on and even those areas can have more areas you can narrow down to. Our advice, start narrow and broaden as you go and learn more about the sources and research available. You will know if your topic is too narrow as you start researching - you won't find anything.
Video: How to Narrow Your Topic
Image 01: Example of Wikipedia Subtopics
What is Confirmation Bias?
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, confirmation bias is "the tendency to seek or favor new information which supports one's existing theories or beliefs, while avoiding or rejecting that which disrupts them" (OED 2021).
The HJF Library sees this often, from beginners to experienced researchers. It usually starts off with someone asking us to help them find sources to prove "something" and that "something" is an already established viewpoint they hold. From politics to religion to sports, confirmation bias exists and can be very difficult to convince people they are suffering from it. After all, no one wants to be proven wrong and we all love to be proven right.
To help avoid falling victim to our own biasness, use the list below to help guide you away from this internal trap.
Ask questions, don't make statements.
Example: "Pepperoni is the best pizza topping" OR "what is the best pizza topping?"
Resist forming a conclusion until you have completed significant research and evaluated all the sources. A thesis shouldn't be formed until after you have done the research - not before.
Identify multiple viewpoints on a topic and give them careful consideration. Good research often presents opposing viewpoints on a topic and then refutes one using good solid evidence and sources.
Evaluate sources of information carefully using the CRAAP Test. If sources cannot pass the CRAAP Test, then don't use or trust them, even if you think they're correct.
Check your confirmation biases and stop the spread of misinformation.
Finding Keywords
Wikipedia provides another valuable asset to the researcher - keywords. Keywords are the words you'll want to use later when searching databases. We use them for everything from searching for YouTube videos, Google searches, trying to find the next movie to watch, etc. But when we start researching we need to pay more attention to the type of language we are actually using. We want to use the professional terms, not the layman's terms.
Example
If your topic was the loss of tooth enamel from drinking soda pop, what terms would you use? Let's just look at soda pop. How many different words are there to say soda pop? TONS! In fact, it varies wildly in the United States based on what region you were raised in. Soda, pop, soda pop, coke, cola, ginger pop, and on and on. Wikipedia makes it clear though that all of these relate back to one single term - soft drink.
As you begin reading up on your topic and various possible subtopics, pay attention to the language and words being used. These are the keywords you will want to use later. Try to eliminate common language from your search terminology and keywords and replace them with professional scientific language instead. This will greatly help you get the results you're looking for.
Are you ready to start researching now?
There is a common rule to apply here in order to know when you have enough information to start your topic.
Find a friend or colleague.
Tell them about your topic.
Don't repeat yourself or stop for 2 minutes.
If you can do this, you're probably ready to start diving into your research. But before you start using a database, you will want to know about some basic concepts that apply to research that will help you choose a database and process the results you find.
Video: Identifying Keywords
Common Research Concepts
Video: Types of Sources
Basic Types of Sources
There are three basic kinds of sources most typically dealt with when doing research. In fact, your assignment may require you to have a certain amount of each. These types are: primary, secondary and tertiary. The video and text below describes what each of these are and some of the caveats when considering whether or not a source fits one type or another.
Primary Sources
A primary source is a document or physical object which was written or created during the time under study. These sources were present during an experience or time period and offer an inside view of a particular event.
Some types of primary sources include:
Original documents, such as diaries, speeches, and letters
Creative works, such as poetry, drama, novels, music, and art
Relics or artifacts, such as pottery, furniture, and buildings
Research notes, lab notes, raw data, etc.
Secondary Sources
A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. These sources are one or more steps removed from the event. Secondary sources may have pictures, quotes, or graphics of primary sources in them.
Some types of secondary sources include:
Magazine and journal articles
Criticisms and commentaries
Non fiction books about a topic
Tertiary Sources
A tertiary source is a work that summarizes the known knowledge and major viewpoints gathered from primary and secondary sources about a specific topic.
Tertiary sources include:
Encyclopedias
Textbooks
Dictionaries
Wikipedia
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Language Modules
Examples of Primary vs Secondary Sources
Image 02
Peer Reviewed or Scholarly Research Articles
Often instructors ask you to find peer reviewed articles or scholarly articles. While these terms are often used interchangeably, they do have different meanings. Scholarly articles or scholarly journals are journal publications intended for an academic audience and present research, but that does not mean they are peer reviewed or that every article in the journal is peer reviewed.
Peer review is a process in which other experts in the same field as the article examine and evaluate the claims made by the author(s). If they find that they present sound research that is well-informed, they will approve the article for publication. Typically, only scholarly journals will publish peer reviewed articles and this is why the terms are often used interchangeably.
Most of our databases (not all) include both peer reviewed and non-peer reviewed (popular) articles. To provide a way to differentiate between the two easily, some of the databases offer a limiter to eliminate articles from non-peer reviewed journals. (See Image 03)
Image 03: Circled in Red is the Peer Reviewed Limiter
Scholarly Articles vs Popular Articles
Scholarly Articles
Present original research or events related to a specific discipline
Are written by experts in a particular field, with credentials often stated
Are mostly text, but may supported by graphs, tables, or charts
Cite other scholarly sources
Popular Articles
Often focus on current events or pop culture, or present opinions
Are written by staff writers or free-lancers, whose credentials are often not stated
May contain glossy, color photographs and advertising
Are written for non-specialists, often on time-sensitive topics
Video: Peer Reviewed Articles Explained
⭐ Remember that this limiter or filter is only going to limit articles to those that were published in a peer reviewed journal BUT it does not mean the article was actually peer reviewed. Some articles, such as editorials, are often published in peer reviewed journals but are in fact a statement of opinion or a stance by the publisher or editor and they are not an article that has gone through a peer review process. To make sure, observe the tone of the article as well as the inclusion of citations/references.
The Anatomy of a Scholarly Article
A scholarly article is typically made up of certain elements you can find on the article's title page. See Figure 03 and Figure 04 as examples of what a scholarly article would look like, but take note of the actual elements that make it up. Regardless of how the article is formatted, it should contain most, if not all, of these elements. Each of the examples below have these elements even though they are from different publications in different fields of study.
Elements of a Scholarly Article
Article Title
Journal Information (Title, Pages, Publisher, DOI, Date, URL, etc.)
Author(s)
Abstract - Giving readers a short summary and explanation of the contents of the article.
Author Information (credentials, degrees, place of employment, etc.)
💡 Seminal Works
Seminal works, or pivotal or landmark studies, are the original articles that first presented an idea of importance that has influenced a line of thought and discussion in a discipline.
Image 03: Highlighted in Red Text are the Areas of Identification for a Scholarly Article
Image 04: Highlighted in Red Text are the Areas of Identification for a Scholarly Article
Finding a Database
Finding a database is not typically very hard, and the HJF as done what it can to assist in that endeavor. For general research and entry level classes, you can often use Academic OneFile or Academic Search Elite. These are designed for basic research and contain both academic articles and magazine articles. JSTOR is another good general database but heavily focuses on the humanities (religion, history, literature, film, etc.) and social sciences (political science, education, sociology, etc.)
In our A to Z Database index, we have broken up our databases in alphabetical order, but we have also created sections for discipline specific guidance. Feel free to examine these areas to find databases that are best suited for topics in those disciplines.
Using Books as Sources
A common misconception and often the reason we hear why researchers do not use books or eBooks is because they have to read the entire book. You DON'T! You only need to read enough of the book to understand the main thesis of the author(s) and the section of the book your topic is found in.
Dissecting a Book
Dissecting a book refers to how to take apart the information found in a book into its most basic parts to identify the parts that are most relevant to you. It takes but a few minutes to do this and you have the information you need.
Check the index in the back of the book for terminology relevant to your research.
If you find related terminology, go to those pages and briefly read what the author says about it. If you do not, this book is probably not going to be useful to your research.
If after reading the pages that contain your terms and you think it will be useful, read the introduction of the book. Why? To determine the main thesis of the author and making sure you are keeping their research in context to what they are presenting.
Read the first paragraph or two to each chapter you found your terms on. Also read a couple of paragraphs before and after your terms. Again, this is to make sure you understand the context the author(s) are using when discussing these terms.
That's it! But here are couple of suggestions to help you out later when you may need to go back and review these pages.
Take photos of the pages or scan in copies for your personal research use.
Write out full bibliographical information on the book and the pages you took notes from. This will save you time having to go back later to find out information you could have already noted and never have had to go back to the book for. It may also save you the added headache of coming back to the HJF to recheck out the book and finding out it is already checked out to someone else.
If you use Zotero, you can save your notes and images/scans right to the citation information for the book so they never get separated. Learn more about using the free citation software in our guides. The HJF also has guides for the most common citation styles used at Morningside.