Annotated Bibliographies: Starting your Research

Remember that research takes time. Searching for sources involves experimenting a lot with your search terms, and what works for one database may not work for another database.

Leave yourself some breathing room so that you have enough time to gather the best sources you can.

The more you read about your topic, the more potential search terms you will encounter! Write down technical or industry terms related for your topic and keep an eye out for synonyms for your original search terms.

The first step of conducting research is to define your topic. What sort of information do you want to present to your readers? It's best to choose a topic you have an interest in if one was not assigned to you by your instructor. It's also perfectly acceptable to change research topics. 

Search Process:

• Pick the right tools
  • Use library tools to find your research materials 
    • Beginners should use one of the library's discovery tools or they should use a database that has been recommended by an instructor or a librarian. 
• Pick the right search terms
  • Write the topic in a statement form or question
  •  Pick out the main concept/keywords from the statement or question. These will be your search terms.
  • Write synonyms for your search terms. Clinical or academic terms are fine
• Try out some keyword searches. Play with your search terms until your search yields the results you want. Keep track of the search term combinations that work the best.
•  Evaluate the resources by reading the abstracts before printing, emailing, or saving the resource.  Consider the length of the paper to determine the number of sources needed for the research paper.
• READ the research materials you have found. They can provide you with ideas for more search terms that will help you find more resources.
• Tips:
  • If you are not getting enough articles on your topic, it may be because:
    • You are not using a database that is appropriate for your topic. Please see a librarian for assistance.
    • There is an issue with your search terms. Check your spelling. Remember to try as many search terms as you can come up with and to try out subject/index terms whenever you see them in the database you're using. If all else fails, seek a librarian for help.
    • No one knows the answer to your research question yet. Previous studies on the topic might be inconclusive or the topic is so new that no one has had an opportunity to publish scholarly work about it. (Remember, it can take years to publish a book or to get an article published!) This sometimes happens to students who are doing research about current events.
    • Your topic is too narrow. See the link below on how to adjust your topic if this is the case.

If you are working on a topic you don't know anything about, you can give yourself a bit of background information using encyclopedia entries. You will not be able to cite them in your paper, but encyclopedias will give you the important people, places, concepts, events and dates related to your topic. They can also spell out facets of a topic that you can use to narrow your focus if your topic is too broad. Print encyclopedias are available on the first floor of the library. The library also provides reference databases full of encyclopedia entries in the links below.