Inquiry as a process: 

Research rarely happens quickly.  It’s a process – it takes time to identify, find, evaluate and use information.  Here are some guidelines to help you think about your own process and get the best results from your research:

1. Identify the Topic and Scope
    
   1. Brainstorm –

                                         i.    What do you already know?

                                         ii.    Are your ideas unique or do they reiterate a lot of what has already been said/researched about the topic?

2. Can you identify your audience?

                                          i.    Are there other people who will care about this?  Who?

3. Is the scope of your topic appropriate to the assignment/purpose?

                                          i.    Usually, a lot of topics start out too broadly.  You can narrow a search by focusing on a geographic region, a time period, a particular event or a person involved.  Narrower topics provide manageable amounts of resources – broad topics can be overwhelming to research.

2.  Have a Research Plan
    
   1. What kinds of information are you looking for?
   2. Where will you go to get it?
   3. Have you considered a variety of sources?

                                          i.    Are there experts in the area you can talk to?

                                         ii.    Are there special collections available?

                                        iii.    Have you considered media and news sources?

3.  Gather the Information
    
   1. Have you asked a librarian?
   2. Are you using the library catalog and databases?
   3. Are you looking for scholarly works?  Many databases, like EBSCO, will let you limit your search for peer reviewed articles only.  This can be a helpful technique.
   4. Are you using search techniques like keywords and Boolean logic (using AND, OR, NOT to link terms for broader and narrower results)?
   5. Are you organizing your information as you find it? 

                                          i.    Are you keeping track of citations?

                                         ii.    Are you making outlines, keeping notes, highlighting, marking, or employing other organizational strategies?

4. Evaluate The Information You Found

                                          i.   Did you look for the best resources?

                                         ii.   Is it current?

                                        iii.    Is it scholarly?

                                       iv.    Is it credible?  Spelling mistakes, facts or sources that aren’t cited and incorrect information are all signs of sources to avoid.

                                        v.    Have you critically evaluated all your material?  Just because someone with a PhD wrote it, doesn’t mean it’s right or useful.  Using critical thinking is the best method for evaluating your sources.

5. Cite The Resources You Used

                                          i.    Have you given credit to all your sources?

                                         ii.    Have you correctly formatted in-text and end-text citations?

                                        iii.    Even when you paraphrased someone else’s material, did you cite them?

                                       iv.    Did you put quotations marks around any direct quotes or statements from someone else?

                                        v.    Does your work reflect academic integrity?

For more information regarding research strategies,
        see Oxford’s Guide to Library Research (REF Z 710 .M23 2005)