1. Choose a subject you know something about or one that interests you.
   For help with ideas, see books such as 10,000 Ideas for Term Papers, Projects, Reports & Speeches, look through your textbooks, encyclopedia articles or current  magazines for a topic that catches your interest, or review the Library's Topic Ideas list, which includes links to sample searches in the collection catalog and a periodical database.

    
2. Identify possible subject headings.
   Make a list of subjects to use in your research, utilizing any cross references found in the OPAC or Library of Congress Subject Headings volumes or other research materials.
   
   See if the Library has a Trailblazer guide for your topic area, which will give you a head start on your research.
       
3. Develop a search strategy.
   A search strategy is a series of steps for collecting information on a particular topic. It should include the types of information needed and the sources to use in locating them.  Ask yourself:  What do I know? What do I  need to know? Where am I likely to find it?

    
4. Find background information on your topic.
   Unless you are writing about something in which you are already an expert, it is a good idea to start with background information. Look in general and/or specialized encyclopedias, introductory level books about your topic, and pro/con perspectives series (such as Opposing Viewpoints).

    
5. Survey the amount of information available.
   Include books, periodicals, non-print media and electronic databases.
Depending on your topic, personal interviews with experts may be appropriate, too.
    
6. Scan table of contents, index and appendices of a book; read the abstracts of periodical articles.
   This will give you a quick idea of what information is covered, how it is arranged, and how useful it might be for your topic.

    
7. Research current sources of information.
   Look in newspaper and periodical indexes and online sources for new details and updates.

    
8. Modify your search strategy as needed.
   Include additional information types and sources as they are needed. Narrow, broaden or change your topic, depending on what information you find.

    
9. Support your research findings.
   Find supporting definitions, statistics and other details from such works as:  dictionaries, the Statistical Abstract of the United States, The World Almanac, the Who's Who publications, the Congressional Quarterly, and/or Current Biography.

    
10. Keep a record of where you looked for information and where you found it.
    Record the name of the sources checked, the subject headings used, and the time periods checked. Write down the complete bibliographic information for a source on any photocopies or printouts that you may make.

Adapted from a Golden West College Library handout 7/29/02

Last updated 27 November 2007