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Quinebaug Valley Campus Library

Quinebaug Valley ENG 1080 Composition II: Technical Writing

Research Tips

Why? Research is one of those things that can take longer than we think it will. If you are not careful you could be trying to get things done at the last minute which could lead to mistakes. Good time management will also help you feel less stressed about deadlines!
How to Get Started:
  • Choose a topic you really enjoy - it will help you stay motivated!
  • Remember: academic research takes longer than personal research
  • Start writing early - it's okay if your first draft isn't perfect!
  • Add your citations during the writing and research process.

Bonus Tip: if you feel stuck, don't hesitate to ask a librarian for help! We love helping students with research, and may have some more tips and tricks for you to try!
Why? Saving your sources immediately ensures that you do not lose track of useful articles. This saves time in both the writing and citation phases of your research. It also makes sure that you don't waste time trying to re-find a missing resource!
How to Get Started:
  • Download, save, or email articles to yourself. Save them to one spot so you know where to find them again!
  • Save the URL for internet articles and the Permalink or DOI for database articles.
  • Copy and paste database provided starter citations.

Bonus Tip: Organization goes a long way! Have a file where you can keep all your links and citations while you are researching. 
Why? When you keep track of your research, you avoid duplicating work. You also make sure that you can find the necessary source information later. Another way to save time is by noting your citation information as you research. 
How to Get Started:

Use a Word document to track:

  • Your research question
  • Your keywords
  • Details on each resource such as: 
    • Why the source is trustworthy
    • Key information
    • Useful information for your search or question
    • Quotes used
    • Page numbers for this information

Bonus Tip: Writing down the details of your searches can help you recreate them later if you need to track down a source! In your notes include (1) the database name, (2) search engine used, (3) keywords used, and (4) any filters applied.
Why? Research does not always go the way that we think it will. Forcing research to go only in a certain direction will take more time and make the work more tedious. Plus, allowing yourself to be flexible may help you discover new and interesting directions to take your research!
How to Get Started:
  • Be on the lookout for any new keywords or topics
  • Write down interesting ideas (you might use them later!)

Bonus Tip: It is perfectly acceptable to change your topic. However, make sure you are not doing so too often or too quickly. Strong research takes time, persistence, and flexibility. 

Narrowing Your Topic

If you are researching a topic that you are not familiar with, you can use our reference materials to learn more about your topic.  Simply search for your broad topic in one of these databases and then begin a more narrow search when you find the area of the topic that is most exciting to you.

       

The Sea of Content

There is so much content on the internet. Just typing APPLES into Google will result in 9 trillion results! It is impossible to look through all that content to find the right information. 

When researching, try to narrow your topic. The more detailed your topic, the more likely you'll find exact information. 

Ask Yourself Questions 

If you are doing a research project on apples, that is too broad of a search term. Start by asking a question: 

Question

 Answer
What do I want to know more with Apples?  I want to know more about how Apples Become Cider!

Apple Cider is more precise than Apples, but it is still a bit too broad. Instead, ask yourself another question

Question

 Answer
What do I want to know about Apple Cider? I want to know how Apple Cider is made!

The making of apple cider is now precise, but we can narrow the topic even more by asking another question: 

Question

 Answer
What do I want to know about Making Apple Cider? I want to know how Fermentation Makes Apple Cider

The Fermentation of Apple Cider is now a very precise topic! 

If you are having trouble coming up with questions for your specific topic you can try to use the 5Ws to narrow down your search.

Tips for Starting Your Research

Finding articles for your assignments can be a daunting prospect.  Here are some tips to help make the research process less stressful. 

Keeping Track of your Research

Research we do for an academic assignment is not the same thing as research we do at home.  Think about the last few things you asked a search engine.  Most of the time we look for things like: what other movies is this actor in, what's the phone number for my vet's office, where is the nearest Mexican restaurant, etc.  All of these searches are quick because we have a specific question that can be answered using one web site. 

Now think about what you are asked to find for your academic assignments.  The first big difference is that you are unlikely to be asked to find a specific answer that only uses one web page to answer.  More likely, you will be asked to find multiple sources to formulate your own, individual answer.  This means that academic research just takes longer, and that's fine. You will also be expected to keep track of where you got the information to create your answer. 

If research is going to take us longer than we are used to, we want to make sure that we do not accidentally redo our research when our research occurs in chunks over multiple days or weeks.  We also want to make sure that we do not redo our research when it comes time to acknowledge the sources we used to create our answer.

This Research Tracking Worksheet will help you keep track of all the steps that are a part of academic research as well as giving you a place to save your research as you go.  We recommend that you save another copy of this worksheet whenever you have a research project.