6.1 Beginning the Research Process

Ask a Librarian

If you hear the word “research” and get a little queasy inside, you’re hardly alone. Many people dread the idea of having to research something, whether for a speech or a paper. Now is the time to talk to a librarian at a public or an academic library. Librarians are experts at locating reliable sources of information on any topic, and they can help you use tools to locate sources quickly. Libraries have access to materials that you cannot find by just Googling something on the world wide web.

For any project that requires research, visiting with a librarian should be your first step because good research takes time. Too, research is not a one-and-done process. Expect to do preliminary research about your topic, along with later research after you discover what you don’t know.

You can also consult a librarian if you don’t have a clear idea of your topic. If you have a copy of your assignment, the librarian can help you brainstorm some topics that might work so that you can begin your preliminary research.

If you are feeling uncertain about your topic or ability to research it, schedule a one-on-one consultation with a reference librarian. During a consultation, the librarian can give you more time and attention than you would normally receive at the reference desk.

Finally, while librarians can help you find reliable information about your topic, you should not expect them to do your research for you. They will show you the types of sources that are available and assist you in using the library’s databases and catalog to locate items in the building as well as electronic sources, and even explain which sources are more authoritative than others, but you will have to gather the sources for yourself and read them to determine what you will use in your project.

Create a Research Log

Nothing is more disheartening than when you find yourself at 1:00 a.m. asking, “Haven’t I already read this?” To avoid this heartbreaking scenario, make a research log to keep track of what you’ve located and read thus far. Keeping a research log can be as simple as writing what you have located and read so far into a notebook. You can also make a digital log using your laptop or even your phone if you have Word processing software on it.

Pro tip: to make sure that you can access digital information even if your laptop or phone gets stolen or crashes, upload it to a cloud where you can access the information on any device. Anyone with a Gmail account has access to Google Drive, where you can upload and store multiple files for free.

Research Log Best Practices

Put the full bibliographic citation of the source into your log so that you have all of the necessary information to retrieve the source if you didn’t download it or find the hard copy of whatever you checked out of the library.

Once you have read the source, or skimmed it, write a brief summary of the source, focusing on anything important to your research project.