Determine Your Information Need
There are many places to search for material using library resources; the key is knowing what you want to find. First,
Think about your project:
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 that provides in-depth coverage of a topic.
For more info, check out these resources from the Information Literacy Module:
As you review the information you've found while defining your topic and the ideas you've encountered, these questions may help you to form a focus for your research:
Look back over what you have found and think through the following question:
What have you found? How does the information and ideas you've encountered fit together? What themes have emerged? What important question do you want to develop from the ideas and information you have found? What do you want to explore in more detail? What do you want your research to focus on?
Remember to focus on one aspect of the topic. Keep in mind the assignment, the amount of time, and the resources available to you, as these may help formulate the scope of your research.
Find more information about different types of assignments here: Assignment Types
Your question should evolve as you gather and synthesize information. A clear focus will keep you on track to evaluate sources effectively. Below are strategies to narrow your research question.
Exploratory Questions
These come from a genuine curiosity about your topic.
When narrowing down your topic, you get a good sense of the who, what, when, and where of things.
Consider:
open-ended questions like “how” and “why”
or the “so what?” of your topic
Evaluate Your Research Question
Ensure your question is appropriate and workable for your assignment.
Consider:
Is your question clear?
Do you have a specific aspect or area of your topic that you will explore further?
Is your question focused?
Are you able to concisely ask the question?
Is your question complex enough and arguable for your assignment type?
Dig deeper if your question can be answered with a simple Yes or No.
You're good to go once you get to “it depends on X, Y, and Z."
Hypothesize Your Thesis
Once you have developed your research question, consider how you will attempt to answer or address this with a thesis statement.
Consider:
What connections can be made between the research you’ve read and your research question?
What other sources are needed to support your argument?
How might others challenge your thesis?
What research supports your question?
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 resources 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:
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:
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