How to conduct academic research

How to conduct academic research

Part 1: Defining your research question

Starting your research

​Determine a broad topic for your research. If you're doing research for a class project, you'll likely already have a broad topic provided by the class.

Step 1: Define your research question

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​For example, if you're taking a history course on Europe in World War II, the title of the course may be your broad topic. Your instructor might limit your topic further, such as asking you to focus on France.

Example

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​Within the broad topic of your project, think about a more specific thing you'd like to know, or question you'd like to answer.

Step 2: Explore the broad topic to find a potential question.

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​Some instructors may provide a list of research questions, or other information to help you narrow your topic. If you want to deviate from the list, talk to your instructor about your interests.

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​Search online or use library databases to get a general idea of how much information is out there about your research question before you commit to it. If you get a lot of results back, you may want to narrow your question. If you have a hard time finding anything, you may need to broaden your scope.

Step 3: Conduct an initial search to test your question

​Identify key words to search, and try different combinations to fully test your question. For example, if you want to know more about a Microsoft programming profession, use keywords like “software developer” or “computer scientist.”

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​After your test searches, look at your research question again. Decide whether your original research question is actually in line with the scope of your project. If it isn't, you may need to expand or narrow your focus.

Reevaluate your research question based on what you've learned.

​If you're writing a research paper, consider its length. Generally, a shorter paper should cover a narrower topic. Make sure you have enough sources available.

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Multiple Choice

What is the first step of conducting academic research?

• Determine a wide topic for your research

• Determine a narrow topic for your research

• Create questions to answer during the research

• Search topics to research

Multiple Choice

What is the second step when conducting academic research?

• Search online or use library databases to get a general idea of how much information is out there about your research question before you commit to it.

• Explore the broad topic to find a potential question: think about a more specific thing you'd like to know, or question you'd like to answer.

• Ask the teacher for a specific topic to research to guide your research.

• Conduct a web search to develop potential questions to answer for your research.

Multiple Choice

What is the third step with conducting academic research?

• Develop a thesis statement and an outline of your paper

• Brainstorm different topics that will help you search for research question related to your topic

• Search online or use library databases to get a general idea of how much information is out there, using keywords

• Search online for topics that are of interest

Multiple Choice

What is the fourth step when conducting academic research?

• Begin a work cited page to keep track of your sources of information.

• Determine if your research question is specific enough to find information.

• Check your research question against multiple web searches to determine if it is of high quality.

• Reevaluate your research question based on what you've learned: Decide whether your original research question is actually in line with the scope of your project

Part 2: Finding research sources

What will you use to find answers to your questions?

Books, as well as newspaper and magazine articles, can increase your familiarity with your topic. They may also introduce you to academic sources and experts whose work you can seek out.

Step 1: Use non-academic sources as a starting point

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You won't necessarily be referencing any of these sources in your project, you're simply using them to get a better feel for your topic, the experts in the field, and the sources available.

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Based on your preliminary research, determine what kind of sources are most likely to have information that will help you answer your research question. In most cases, you'll use a mixture of books, scholarly articles, and online sources.

Step 2: Identify locations of likely sources

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The library is a great place to find resources and to get support with finding credible resources for your research.

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Published books and scholarly articles are typically preferred sources for academic research. Retrieving sources typically involves making a trip to the library.

Step 3: Search for books and scholarly articles

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Many scholarly articles can be found in electronic databases. School libraries typically allow free access to these databases for students

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Research librarians are specifically trained to find sources of information. They can help locate books, articles, and other sources of information that you may not have been able to find on your own.

Step 4: Get a librarian to assist you

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Tell the librarian your research question, and let them know what sources you've found so far, as well as what types of sources you're looking for. They may have additional sources or different search terms to suggest.

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Create a system to use for notes. For each source, write the author's name and the title. And, make a note of any information related to your research question.

Step 5: Keep organized notes on each of your sources

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• If you read material that you want to quote, write the quote exactly, then write the page number where that quote can be found. This will differentiate quotes from other notes.

• It can also help to write a key word that identifies the issue the notes relate to, so you can organize data related to different sections of your paper as you go. This way you'll be able to tell at a glance if there's a part of your paper that needs more sources or information.

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As you approach the end of your research, you may find areas that you need to explore further. Try to fill in any gaps in understanding that you have. Any further research you need to do at this point shouldn't be too involved.

Step 6: Synthesize your information and tie up loose ends

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If your research raises additional questions that are outside the scope of your project, you could simply acknowledge that they exist and would require further research.

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Your thesis statement is essentially the answer to your research question, our the conclusion that you've come to as a result of your research.

Step 7: Craft your thesis statement based on what you've found

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Your thesis statement makes a claim, or takes a position, and tells your readers why your position is important.

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Fill in the Blank

What can you use as a starting point for your academic research?

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What types of sources are most likely to have information that will help you answer your research question?

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What are typically preferred sources for academic research?

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What are typically preferred sources for academic research?

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What can librarians help you locate?

Part 3: Reliable Sources

How to determine if your source is reliable​.

Sources may be primary or secondary. Primary sources are original material, while secondary sources interpret, evaluate, or collect information from primary sources. For most academic research, primary sources are preferred over secondary sources.

Step 1: Identify what type of source you're using

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• If you have a secondary source, look in the footnotes or bibliographies to get information about the original source. The citation should allow you to find the primary source and evaluate it yourself.

• You may need to use a secondary source if the primary source is not available to you. For example, if you read an article in which a book is quoted, you would want to find the quoted book if at all possible. However, if the book was published a long time ago and is out of print, you may have no choice but to use the secondary source.

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​The author of a source you're using for academic research is almost always a scholar in the field. If they aren't a scholar, consider their background and experience to see if they qualify as an expert.

Step 2: Review the credentials of the author or producer of the source.

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​If the author's name is mentioned by other sources, it usually means they are well-known in their field. If other professionals have relied on their work, it's a good indication that you can as well.

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In general, you want to include the most up-to-date information in your research. The information in a source that was published 5 or 10 years ago may be out of date. Information in more cutting-edge or rapidly developing fields may become outdated after a year or less.

Step 3: Check the year the source was published

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Whether the publication year affects the information's validity depends on the topic. For example, in ancient Greek philosophy, the publishing date is irrelevant. However, if you're researching social media and voting, you'll want to use recent sources.

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Academic publishers often publish books and journals. You may also find novels from prominent publishers like Penguin or Random House.

Step 4: Assess the reputation of the publisher of the source

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Be aware of small presses and self-published books. They don't perform as much fact-checking and editing as larger presses.

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Online sources need to have a good reputation. Look for reviews or complaints about websites to see if experts in the subject trust them. If unsure, consult your teacher.

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Consider internet sources' trustworthiness. Your reader should be able to locate your research sources. Identify the longevity of a website, its affiliation with a well-known institution, and its continued existence.

Step 5: Consider the reliability of online sources

For example, a website run by a university history department would likely be considered a reliable online source.

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Multiple Choice

When conducting research, and finding a secondary source in the primary source, what should allow you to find the primary source and evaluate it yourself?

• Bibliography

• Appendix

• Citation

• None are correct

Multiple Select

What are the two types of sources used in your research (check all that apply)?

• Primary

• Secondary

• Online

• Book or Journal

Multiple Choice

If the author of a source you are using is not a recognized expert, what should you look at to determine whether they should be considered?

• Their background and experience

• Who sponsors them

• The title of their website

• The title of the article

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What do you want your research to include?

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What can you search for about a website to find out if people in the field consider it to be a good source of information?

Multiple Select

Who are are the most credible and reliable publishers of information (check all that apply)?

• Mainstream publishers

• University or academic publishers

• Independent publishers

• Self Publishers

Multiple Select

What should you find out about a website?

• How long it has been online

• Who runs the website

• The correct web address (URL)

• The last time the website has been accessed

Open Ended

Summarize what you think are the most important concepts and bits of information from this lesson.