What is Academic Research?
When it comes to academic research, the goal is not to make you into a librarian. The goal is to help you develop the skills needed to complete your assignments. Specifically, the ability to search effectively, evaluate information critically, and use scholarly resources to support your work in an ethical manner.
Research Process Overview
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1. Define what information you need or want to find. Use a question or two to guide your research. |
the origins of punk music - where did it come from? what caused it? how did it evolve? what was its impact on society or culture?
What started the punk rock scene in the United States and how did this music influence music and culture of the early 1980s? |
| 2. Break down your question into its essential concepts or ideas to identify keywords. |
What forces (political, social, etc) gave rise to the punk rock scene in the United States? OR How did the punk rock scene in New York influence music and culture in the United States throughout the 1980s? |
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3. Brainstorm synonyms for each of your keywords. When conducting research, you may have more success with one word than with another. |
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4. Decide which databases will have the information you hope to find. |
[add relevant KYVL and UK databases here] |
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5. Search by combining terms. Use OR between terms that mean the same idea and AND between each set of keywords. This part is experimental and reiterative. You will need to adjust - use different terms, combine terms in new ways, etc. until you find what you need. |
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6. Searching is a process of trial and error. Skim the titles in your results list. Analyze what you have found. Decide which articles are most likely to meet your needs. Read those. |
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| 7. Keep track of what you found (articles), where you found them (databases) and what search terms you used (engineering AND work AND satisfaction). That way if you want them later, you can find them more easily. |  |
If you get stuck at any point in this process, contact a librarian - we're always happy to help!