The Seven Steps of the Research Process

The following seven steps outline a simple and effective strategy for finding information for a research paper, and documenting the sources you find. Depending on your topic and your familiarity with the library, you may need to rearrange or recycle through these steps. Adapt this outline to your needs. STEP 1. IDENTIFY AND DEVELOP YOUR TOPIC. State your topic as a question. For example, if you are interested in finding out about use of alcoholic beverages by college students, you might pose the question, "What effect does use of alcoholic beverages have on the health of college students?" Identify the main concepts or keywords in your question. More details on how to identify and develop your topic STEP 2. FIND BACKGROUND INFORMATION. Look up your keywords in the indexes to subject encyclopedias. Read articles in these encyclopedias to set the context for your research. Note any relevant items in the bibliographies at the end of the encyclopedia articles. Additional background information may be found in your lecture notes, textbooks, and reserve readings. More suggestions for finding background information. STEP 3. USE THE ONLINE CATALOG TO FIND BOOKS. The Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) includes books, periodical titles, videocassettes, and other audio-visual materials in the Library.  More details on finding books on the SMC campus. STEP 4. USE INDEXES TO FIND PERIODICAL ARTICLES Use periodical indexes to find citations to articles. The indexes may be in print or electronic format or both. Choose the indexes and format best suited to your particular topic; ask at the reference desk if you need help figuring out which index and format will be best. Detailed instructions on finding and using periodical indexes at SMC. STEP 5. FIND INTERNET RESOURCES Use search engines and subject directories to locate materials on the Internet.  Links for learning how to find information on the Internet. STEP 6. EVALUATE WHAT YOU HAVE FOUND See How to Critically Analyze Information Sources and Distinguishing Scholarly from Non-Scholarly Periodicals: A Checklist of Criteria for suggestions on evaluating the authority and quality of the books and articles you located. If you have found too many or too few sources, you may need to narrow or broaden your topic. Check with a librarian or your instructor. When you're ready to begin writing, here is an annotated list of books to help you organize, format, and write your paper. STEP 7. CITE WHAT YOU FIND USING A STANDARD FORMAT FOR YOUR BIBLIOGRAPHY Format the citations in your bibliography using the style required by your instructor by referring to our Citation Styles page. This includes examples using the Modern Language Association (MLA) and American Psychological Association (APA) standards, and others. It also includes information on how to cite an electronic or Internet resource. If you are writing an annotated bibliography , see How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography. RESEARCH TIPS: Work from the General to the Specific. Find background information first, then use more specific and recent sources. Record What You Find and Where You Found It. Write out a complete citation for each source you find; you may need it again later. YourTopic May be Referred to by Different Terms in Different  Indexes and Catalogs You Use.  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? Ask a Librarian Return to Library Research Guide