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The Research Process

This guide presents the Research Process that uses Resources at Wolfgram Memorial Library.

Choosing a Topic

Follow these steps when selecting a topic:

  1. Start with the Library's Home Page. Select a database in your subject area.
  2. Examine the titles under a broad subject area in a database or in the Classic Catalog.
  3. Single out significant or critical issues with in the larger subject.
  4. Do a brief literature search to determine if there is enough information on your chosen topic.
  5. If there is enough information, then you are ready to start some serious searching. If there is not enough information on your topic, try picking out another significant or critical issue from the larger subject.

A topic should not be too broad nor should it consist of too many issues to be addressed effectively in one paper.

Topic Example: "Families"

  • If you choose a topic like "families" you need to determine at the beginning stage of your research what aspects of "families" you want to include and what aspects you want to exclude.
  • A subject search on the broad term "families" in the Classic Catalog will show more than 2,000 results.
  • A search for articles using the subject term "families” in Academic Search Premier, a general database, provides more than 136,000 scholarly journal articles and more than 100 broader or related subject terms.
  • Therefore, you have to narrow each search by developing a search strategy that includes more specific terms describing your research.

Developing a Search Strategy

A search strategy consists of the keywords in your topic sentence.

Topic Sentence: College students engage in risky behavior.

Keywords:

college students                 risky behavior

  • Always identify synonyms or related words to help you obtain more results. Consult Merriam-Webster's Thesaurus Online-http://www.merriam-webster.com for additional terms.
     
Merriam-Webster's Thesaurus offers these synonyms for the term risky:
dangerous grave grievous hazarous
jeopardizing menacing parlous perilous
threatening serious unsafe unhealthy
  • Think about different ways to define risky. 

risk-taking                                      risk-taking behavior

 

  • Choose examples of specific risky behaviors:

high-risk drinking                    substance abuse                 sexual risk-taking

 

  • Also select more simpler related terns:

 

alcohol                  drugs                 sex

 

 

Obtaining a variety of terms allows you to develop a more sophisticated search strategy.