COM 111: Introduction to Communications: Determine Your Research Needs

Determine Your Information Need

There are many places to search for material using library resources; the key is knowing what you want to find: 

Think about your project: 

• Is it a speech, presentation, group project, or paper? 
• What's your topic? 
• What sources are you required to have? 
  • Library material (journals or books)
  • Reference material for background (Encyclopedia or Dictionary)
  • Resources from a database 
  • Web resources (blog post, website, YouTube video)

Take a minute to think about your resource needs. 

Working through these questions can give you an idea of your resource needs, what type of resources to look for, and where they might be found. For example, looking for an Encyclopedia on Business Law or a Handbook of the Bible could be a way to find background information on a topic. Looking for a Journal or Book will provide in-depth coverage of a topic.

For more info, check out these modules from the Information Literacy Module:

Types of Sources

Selecting Appropriate Sources

Identify Keywords/Search Terms

When you go to look for resources, try to identify the main ideas behind your research question. These keywords will help to find relevant research and will be a more effective search than typing in the whole question. 

Example Research Question

How does social media affect children? 

Keywords: Social Media and Children

Take a moment to think about your topic or research question. What are some keywords you can use to search for resources? 

For more info, check out this tutorial: Choosing and Using Keywords. 

Identify Synonyms and Specific Aspects

Often, a research topic or question can be broken into aspects that help identify relevant research. Thinking about synonyms and specific aspects of a topic can help narrow down your research. 

For example, using "How does social media affect children?" as the research question, we may be able to narrow our topic by asking the following questions: 

• What type of social media? Instagram, TicTok, Facebook, etc. 
• Effects what? Self-image, bullying, anxiety, ability to focus, evaluating information, etc. 
• What age are Children? School-aged children, preteens, teenagers, etc. 
• Where? North America, China, New York, etc.

Take a moment to identify some aspect of your topic or research question that may be helpful. If you need help thinking about synonyms, check out a thesaurus here for some options: Oxford Paperback Thesaurus