Research Help

• The simplest way to make sure you understand the understand your assignment is to make sure you have read your syllabus as well as expectations or a rubric your instructor has given to you in Canvas. Make sure you have read any documents available about this assignment as well.
• Check for a due date and make sure you put it on a calendar or planner. Time management helps with understanding and research planning. If you have any questions, you know when you have time to talk to your instructor.
• Check for length for the assignment. Length will help you choose your topic.
• Check for style and formatting. What does your instructor expect your citations to be in?
  • Also, instructors know if you add hidden spaces or secret words. Adding them to meet a word count or length is not in your favor.
• Know what type of sources your instructor expects of you to support your research. This will help you where to look for types of sources that will work for your topic.
• Make sure you ask questions when you need them. Do not hesitate to e-mail, talk to, or contact your instructor with any questions that you have regarding your assignment. If you do not understand, it is in your best interest to understand. If you are unsure where to start, ask for guidance from your instructor or from the Library staff.

Choosing a Topic:

• As above, make sure your topic meets the requirements of your assignment.
• Choose a topic that is interesting or important to you. This helps motivate you for researching!
• Choose a topic that isn't too narrowly focused. If it is too narrow, it would be hard to find enough resources.
• Read through your course materials for ideas if you can't think of anything.

Focusing on a topic:

• Ask the 5W1H questions.
  • Who, What, When, Where, Why, How
  • This will help you create a guide of what direction you want to take your topic. This will also help with questions to search for your topic.
• Create a concept map with different angles that you can take the topic.
• Find out some background information about your topic and follow where it takes you.

• Identify major concepts of your topic. What are the focus words in what you are researching? These are usually words in your research question that are without the articles (your question word, the articles [the, is, of have, etc.], verbs, for example). These will help you come up with searchable areas.
• You can also brainstorm synonyms for keywords. Synonyms are words that have similar meaning. These will give you more options and more research information.

You can also check under the next topic "Finding Sources" and under Library Basics  and Research Help on how to search our databases and catalog of books.

Now that you have your topic and your keywords that you want to use, do you know where to begin to research?

Make sure you ask yourself:

1. Does your assignment require that you use certain sources?

2. Does your topic lead you to a particular type of source? Some are better in books, some require academic articles, and some require news.