1. Choosing a Topic
Interest- Research is an involved process and it is critical that you choose a topic that interests you.
The "W" Questions- Ask yourself the following questions to help narrow down your topic:
WHO? Who are you talking about? Who is publishing the articles you are using?
WHERE? Where is your topic relevant? Are there specific places where your topic is influential?
WHEN? When did the research take place? Will you be focusing on a specific time period?
WHY? Why is your topic important? Why do you find this topic interesting?
HOW? How are you going to do your research? How will you phrase your thesis? How are you going to focus on specific areas of this topic?
The "W" Questions- Ask yourself the following questions to help narrow down your topic:
WHO? Who are you talking about? Who is publishing the articles you are using?
WHERE? Where is your topic relevant? Are there specific places where your topic is influential?
WHEN? When did the research take place? Will you be focusing on a specific time period?
WHY? Why is your topic important? Why do you find this topic interesting?
HOW? How are you going to do your research? How will you phrase your thesis? How are you going to focus on specific areas of this topic?
2. Selecting Sources
3. Identifying Keywords
Identify the important nouns or main ideas in your research question.
- Research Question: What is the effect of incorrect health information on social media?
Consider the keywords you selected and brainstorm a list of synonyms for each term:
- Incorrect information: lies, false, misinformation
- Social media: social network, online, internet, instagram, facebook
- Health: wellness, doctor, medical
**TIP** Begin with 2-4 keywords and adjust accordingly based on the results of your searches!
4. Finding and searching the database
Here's an interactive tutorial
Anatomy of a search result-
5. Advanced Searches
BOOLEAN OPERATORS-
FILTERS-
FILTERS-