When you start a project there are a few things you need to do. 1. You have to have a background in the topic that you are focusing on. 2. You have to learn specific details about your topic. 3. You have to know how to narrow down your results to a manageable level. 4. You have to find resources that are accurate, credible, and reliable.
How does one do that? Follow along and we'll show you.
The great and powerful Google
Google is a wonderful tool to use, but it must be used in a responsible way. First, Google doesn't have some "all-knowing" person sitting on the other side of your computer screen, magically finding what you want. Google works by taking the words you type into the search bar and finds those words in documents and on webpages. So, Googling "How did 9/11 happen" might get you some results, but since Google is looking for all of those words, it isn't going to narrow your results to closer to what you want. Try, "9/11 causes" and you likely will get more of what you want.
Also, you must click on the links and read the websites that Google gives you, not just the 3 sentence summary excerpt that shows up under the link.
Making sure it's credible
There is a ton of information on the web, and since there are no restrictions on what can be posted, not all of that information is accurate. There are a few things to be looking for to help you know that the information is credible:
1. Do other websites and documents say the same thing. If EVERYONE else is saying that its true, the odds are that that piece of information is accurate.
2. Does it come from a research center. .org .edu and .gov are likely to be credible sources. Colleges and Universities have reputations to uphold, and therefore aren't going to publish stuff that isn't accurate. Organizations that study your topic are also in the same boat. Be careful of bias, but generally its going to be accurate. The government is usually pretty good about putting out statistics and other facts on it's websites. There are some good .com websites as well. History Channel's website, museum websites, and other places that you've heard of usually are reliable. But a website called "Jake's Facts about 9/11" probably isn't a site who's information you want to bet a $1,000,000 on.
Use primary sources as much as possible
A primary sources are immediate, first-hand accounts of a topic, from people who had a direct connection with it. Primary sources can include:
Texts of laws and other original documents.
Newspaper reports, by reporters who witnessed an event or who quote people who did.
Speeches, diaries, letters and interviews - what the people involved said or wrote.
Original research.
Datasets, survey data, such as census or economic statistics.
Photographs, video, or audio that capture an event.
In other words, a primary source is a source of information that has not been put the the filter of an editor, collaborator, etc.
One source is not enough, my friend
Research is about looking at multiple pieces of information and creating a profile with that information. Unless you are looking for specific numbers, to a specific question, the best research is reading/watching as many first hand accounts as you can, looking at pictures that haven't been edited, and reading opinions. Simply "looking up facts" doesn't get you very far.