Research Basics

Choosing a topic

If your topic has been assigned, then one of the hardest parts of writing your research paper is done for you already. If it is not, here are some important things to consider:

  1. Select an area of study that really interests you. You will be more motivated to dig deeply into your research and your engagement with the topic will animate and inform the finished product.
  2. Take into account the amount of time you have to complete the project - Gather background information to acquaint yourself with terminology and important concepts. Allow time for this! Do not expect to get everything you need online and full-text. To save time and find out which tools are the best to use for your project, contact Rebecca Ohm, library liaison for Environmental Studies, for an individual appointment. Some of the books or journals that you need may be unavailable locally; requesting through the Virtual Catalog or Interlibrary Loan can take days or weeks. Start early!!
  3. Topics that are very broad - e.g., environmental justice, global warming, endangered species, etc., may capture your interest, but you may find yourself overwhelmed with too much material and it will be difficult to decide what to write about. Consult with your professor to narrow your topic to a specific issue or question.
  4. By the same token, avoid topics that are too narrow or of only local interest - these can be fascinating, but the material about them may be very difficult to track down and you may not find enough information in the amount of time that you have.

Developing your research strategy

  1. Determine what fields or disciplines you need to explore in order to find material that relates to your research. It usually takes research in many different areas to investigate almost any topic.
  2. Decide whether you want to focus on a popular or scholarly treatment of your subject. Popular sources include newspapers and magazines intended for a broad general audience; scholarly sources include journals that are published for a narrow academic or professional readership. Decide whether or not you wish to deal only with current issues; you might instead determine that a historical perspective would be more practical. Sometimes a combination of the two works well.
  3. Identify the types of reference materials you will most likely need and seek help from a reference librarian in locating and using them:

    • background information: subject encyclopedias, specialized dictionaries, bibliographies
    • factual data: handbooks, almanacs, timelines, yearbooks
    • biographical: a wide range of biographical sources is available, including online full-text biographical databases
    • primary sources: firsthand accounts of the subject, issue, or event - these include interviews, eyewitness accounts, research data, etc. Primary sources can include newspapers, manuscripts, testimonies, research reports and some government documents.
    • secondary sources: commentary, articles about an event, issues, or reviews. Secondary sources include books, journal articles, and encyclopedia entries.

Evauating Your Sources

Examine your sources carefully using the following criteria:

  • Accuracy: As far as you can tell, is the information presented free of errors and omissions?
  • Authority: Who is the author? What are his/her credentials? Does the publisher have a respected reputation academically? A large publishing house or major university is a safe bet; but look very critically at documents found on personal or organization web pages. Check carefully to see if the item is signed, copyrighted, dated, etc.
  • Objectivity: Is factual information free of bias? Is statistical information so selective as to skew results? Check to make sure that all sources are documented.
  • Currency: How up-to-date is the information presented? Does the time frame covered meet your research needs?
  • Coverage: Is the author's treatment of the material broad or narrow? Are footnotes or references to additional reading provided?