Working on a research assignment can be daunting, but it doesn't have to be. The resources on this guide will walk you through the research process and provide helpful advice for (1) identifying your topic, (2) searching for sources, (3) evaluating your sources, and (4) citing sources.

Have questions or need further assistance? Contact a librarian!

Steps for Successful Research

Writing a successful research paper requires organization and time management. Give yourself a lot of time and stick to a schedule. Research is a process, so allow yourself enough time to work through the following steps:

1. Brainstorming: 

   • Explore and generate ideas related to your topic

   • consider different perspectives and potential research questions

2. Researching and taking notes:

   • use reliable sources such as books, scholarly articles, and reputable websites

   • take notes, highlighting key information and source details

3. Making an outline:

   • create a logical flow and hierarchy of idea

   • structure your paper by organizing main points and supporting details

4. Writing

5. Revising and polishing

Giving yourself time and organization will make you successful at your projects!

Research Process

Researching and searching for sources is an ongoing process that you will need to repeat many times in order to find the best resources for your assignment. Do not get discouraged if you do not find useful resources during your first search. Remember that this is part of the process and the more different searches you try the more likely you are to find good resources for your assignment.

The research cycle can be broken down into the following steps:

1. Identify your topic or question
2. Determine keywords
3. Use your keywords to build a search string
4. Conduct the search and find resources
5. Examine the results of your search
6. Repeat the process!