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The James H. Carson Library and Information Center
THE RESEARCH PROCESS
7 Steps to Finding Information on Any Topic
1. Identify your topic
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State your topic as a question. For example, "What is the effect of the media on youth violence?" Approaching research as the process of answering the question will help you stay focused and avoid being overwhelmed by the amount of information you find.·
Identify the main concepts or keywords in your question. In the example above, the main keywords would be "media," "youth," and "violence."2. Find background information
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Look up your keywords in general or subject encyclopedias. For example, the Carson Library has an encyclopedia called Violence in America: An Encyclopedia. If you were researching the effect of the media on youth violence, you might want to look up "media" in the encyclopedia to get an overview of the subject and some ideas on how you might want to organize your thoughts.·
Note any relevant items in the bibliographies at the end of the encyclopedia articles.3. Find books on your topic
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To find books located at Lees-McRae or any of the other 5 colleges in the Mountain College Library Network, use the link to the online catalog from the library’s webpage at http://www.lmc.edu/lmclibrary. Begin by simply typing in one or two of your keywords. Note that the more terms you use in a search, the fewer results you will get. Books not located at Lees-McRae may be ordered through Interlibrary Loan and generally take less than a week to arrive.·
To find books located at other libraries in North Carolina, click on the "Other Catalogs" link on the library’s webpage. Materials found in these catalogs may also be borrowed through Interlibrary Loan, but may take more than a week to arrive.·
To find books and other materials located at libraries throughout the US and the world, go to the NCLIVE link on the library’s webpage, then select "WorldCat." Most of these materials may be borrowed through Interlibrary Loan.4. Find articles on your topic
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Use the library’s indexes or abstracts to find articles in journals or magazines. Most indexes and abstracts are now online, although you may want to use the older indexes in paper format if you are researching your topic from a historical perspective.·
To select an appropriate index for your topic, go to the library’s webpage at http://www.lmc.edu/lmclibrary, then select "Electronic Resources by Subject." Choose one of the indexes or databases listed under the general subject area of your topic. If you were researching the effect of the media on youth violence, for example, you would want to choose an index or database from those listed under Criminal Justice and Sociology.5. Find Internet resources
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Use search engines and subject directories to find information on the web. Some good search engines include Google (http://www.google.com), Alta Vista (http://www.alta-vista.com) , and Excite (http://www.excite.com). Examples of subject directories are The Librarian’s Index to the Internet (http://lii.org), WWW Virtual Library ( http://vlib.org/Overview.html), and Yahoo (http://www.yahoo.com).·
Check the Internet resources listed under the general subject area (Criminal Justice and Sociology, for example) on the library’s webpage.6. Evaluate what you find
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When evaluating Web resources, ask yourself the following questions:a. Is the author of the website a qualified expert in the field?
b. Is the information objective? Is the site sponsored by an individual or group that might have a particular bias?
c. Is the information current? Is the page dated? When was the last update?
7. Cite what you find using a standard format
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Check with your instructor to see which citation format (MLA, APA, etc.) he or she prefers.·
Abbreviated versions of the main citation formats may be found on the library’s webpage under the Virtual Reference Desk link. Full versions of the citation guides are in the library’s Reference Collection.
RESEARCH TIPS:
Find background information first, then use more specific and recent sources.
Write out a complete citation for each source you find; you may need it again later.
Check your topic words against a thesaurus or subject heading list.
Need help clarifying your topic?
Need ideas about where to look next?
Want to be sure you're using a reference source effectively?
The content of this document has been adapted from the Reference Department
Instruction, Research, and Information Services (IRIS)
Cornell University Library
Used with permission
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