Choose A TopicFind Background InformationNarrow Your TopicForm a Research Question
Select Search WordsSearch By KeywordSearch By Subject
Understand InformationSelect Search ToolsFind Books & DVDsFind ArticlesFind WebsitesFind Primary SourcesUnderstand Search Results
Ask QuestionsIdentify Scholarly SourcesUnderstand Peer Review
Avoid PlagiarismCite Your SourcesUse RefWorksCreate an Annotated BibliographyConsider CopyrightProofread Your Work
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How To Research  

Last Updated: Apr 18, 2012 URL: http://rdc.libguides.com/research Print Guide RSS UpdatesEmail AlertsShareThis

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About This Guide

Research lends credibility to your own thoughts and ideas.

This guide will help you with the steps in the research process.

Each part of the guide reviews a different research skill and explains specific search tools at RDC.

"The ability to research--that is, to explore a problem systematically--is a crucial skill." 
From: Hult, C. A. (2003). The new century handbook. Toronto: Longman. p. 158.

 

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This guide covers the 5 steps in the research process. You will likely revisit one or more of these steps as you progress through your research. 

  • Develop A Topic
    Choose a topic, locate background information on your topic, and use your background reading to narrow your topic and form a research question.
  • Create a Strategy
    Make a search strategy by creating a list of search words.
  • FInd Information
    Find and retrieve information to use in your research assignment.
  • Evaluate Information
    Evaluate the information you've found to select what you will use for your research assignment.
  • Use Information
    Avoid plagiarism by citing your information sources, consider copyright, and proofread your research assignment.
  • Ask Us!
    Help is available at the library in person, by phone, by email, by IM (instant message), or by appointment.
 

Read Your Assignment

It is important to first read your assignment and note any specific requirements:

  • Type of assignment (report, critique, essay, analysis)
  • Number of resources
  • Types of resources (articles, books, videos, etc)
  • Citation format (e.g. APA, MLA, Chicago, etc)
  • Topic limitations
 

Keep Notes

A useful strategy to manage your research is to keep notes as you go. Take clear, accurate notes about where you found specific ideas, and, as you consult sources and make notes, keep a list of the sources you used.

There are many ways that you can keep notes to manage your research and citations more easily:

  • Use index cards or a notebook.
  • Use a wordprocessor document.
  • Use A Citation Manager such as RefWorks.
 

Need Help?

 

Learn More

Check out this tutorial for an overview or more in-depth instruction on the research process as a whole:

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