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 these steps. Adapt this outline to your needs. We are ready to help you at every step in your research.

STEP 1: IDENTIFY AND DEVELOP YOUR TOPIC SUMMARY: 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 SUMMARY: 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 on how to find background information. Return to the top

. You can find periodical articles by the article author. Check the standard subject subheading "--BIBLIOGRAPHIES. title. How to find and use periodical indexes at Cornell. or keyword by using the periodical indexes in the Library home page. they list citations to hundreds of books and articles in one subject area.etc.STEP 3: USE CATALOGS TO FIND BOOKS AND MEDIA SUMMARY: Use guided keyword searching to find materials by topic or subject. Watch for book-length bibliographies and annual reviews on your subject. When you pull the book from the shelf. If the full text is not linked in the index you are using. Choose the indexes and format best suited to your particular topic. Note the circulation status. ask at the reference desk if you need help figuring out which index and format will be best. in the Cornell Library Classic Catalog. title. Watch on YouTube: How to read citations STEP 4: USE INDEXES TO FIND PERIODICAL ARTICLES SUMMARY: Use periodical indexes and abstracts to find citations to articles. Check to see if your class has a bibliography or research guide created by librarians. write down the citation from the index and search for the title of the periodical in the Cornell Library Classic Catalog. The catalog lists the print. scan the bibliography for additional sources. More detailed instructions for using catalogs to find books. . Watch on YouTube: How to read citations Return to the top STEP 5: FIND INTERNET RESOURCES SUMMARY: Use search engines.) and the location information (call number and library). Finding media (audio and video) titles.. and electronic versions of periodicals at Cornell. Print or write down the citation (author. The indexes and abstracts may be in print or computer-based formats or both. microform." or titles beginning with Annual Review of.

Knowingly representing the work of others as your own is plagarism. here is an annotated list of books to help you organize. Use one of the styles listed below or another style approved by your instructor. (See Cornell's Code of Academic Integrity). making it easy to import references and incorporate them into your writing. format. See our guide to citation tools and styles. Available online: RefWorks is a web-based program that allows you to easily collect. STEP 6: EVALUATE WHAT YOU FIND SUMMARY: 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. and it allows those who are reading your work to duplicate your research and locate the sources that you have listed as references. Handouts summarizing the APA and MLA styles are available at Uris and Olin Reference. and organize bibliographic references by interfacing with databases. RefWorks also interfaces directly with Word. you may need to narrow or broaden your topic. properly formatted according to the style of your choice. When you're ready to write. manage. STEP 7: CITE WHAT YOU FIND USING A STANDARD FORMAT Give credit where credit is due. . it gives proper credit to the authors of the materials used. Watch on YouTube: Identifying scholarly journals Identifying substantive news sources If you have found too many or too few sources. Citing or documenting the sources used in your research serves two purposes. cite your sources.Finding Information on the Internet: A thorough tutorial from UC Berkeley. Check with a reference librarian or your instructor. and write your paper.

Useful for the beginning researcher. also Uris Reference. see How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography.7 . also Uris Reference. Chapters discuss the content and organization of a manuscript.G53 2009 [shelved at the reference desk]. RECORD WHAT YOU FIND AND WHERE YOU FOUND IT.Format the citations in your bibliography using examples from the following Library help pages: Modern Language Association (MLA) examples and American Psychological Association (APA) examples. Check your topic words against a thesaurus or subject heading list. the American Psychological Association citation style. others) The authoritative style manual for anyone writing in the field of psychology. Record the complete citation for each source you find. 7th ed. New York: MLA. the writing of footnotes and bibliographies. Useful for the social sciences generally. writing style. Return to the top RESEARCH TIPS: WORK FROM THE GENERAL TO THE SPECIFIC. and typing. others) This handbook is based on the MLA Style Manual (Olin and Uris Ref PN 147 . you may need it again later.  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. (Olin Reference LB 2369 .  Style guides in print (book) format:  MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 2009. as well as sample pages of a research paper. If you are writing an annotated bibliography.G444x 1998) and is intended as an aid for college students writing research papers. Find background information first. (Olin Reference BF 76. Need help clarifying your topic? Need ideas about where to look next? Want to be sure you're using a reference source effectively? . TRANSLATE YOUR TOPIC INTO THE SUBJECT LANGUAGE OF THE INDEXES AND CATALOGS YOU USE.P83 2010 [shelved at the reference desk]. researching the topic. mailing and proofreading. Mann Reference. then use more specific and recent sources. 6th ed. Included here is information on selecting a topic. note taking. 2010. Washington: APA.

Return to the top of this page Return to Library Research: A Hypertext Guide Go to Library Tutorial and Skill Guide page Conditions for the reuse of this Web page or subsidiary tutorial Web pages [excluding video material] Revised 22 December 2009 Corrected in Drupal 16 February 2011 Michael Engle Research & Learning Services            Collections Services Buildings and Rooms Hours Help About Us Classic Catalog Library Catalog Exhibitions Ask A Librarian Requests updated: 02/15/2011 .contact: moe1 .4:58pm .

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