Research Fundamentals
🎯 Key Insight
Effective research is systematic, not haphazard. It begins with clear questions, employs strategic searching, critically evaluates findings, and synthesizes information into original insights rather than mere summaries.
The Research Process
Research Steps
Systematic approach
- 1. Define topic: Broad area of interest
- 2. Develop research question: Specific, answerable inquiry
- 3. Create thesis statement: Main argument or hypothesis
- 4. Find sources: Strategic searching
- 5. Evaluate sources: Check credibility and relevance
- 6. Take notes: Extract key information
- 7. Synthesize: Connect findings to thesis
- 8. Write: Present your analysis
- 9. Cite: Document all sources
Developing Research Questions
✅ Strong Questions
- • Specific and focused
- • Answerable with available evidence
- • Complex (not yes/no)
- • Arguable (not just factual)
- • Relevant to field of study
❌ Weak Questions
- • Too broad to address
- • Simple yes/no answers
- • Purely factual lookup
- • Based on opinion only
- • Unrelated to thesis
Finding Quality Sources
Where to Search
Academic Databases
Primary research tool
General Academic
- • Google Scholar (free)
- • JSTOR
- • Academic Search Premier
- • Web of Science
Subject-Specific
- • PubMed (medicine)
- • IEEE Xplore (engineering)
- • PsycINFO (psychology)
- • EconLit (economics)
Access through your university library for full articles.
Search Strategies
Find what you need faster
Boolean Operators
AND (narrows), OR (broadens), NOT (excludes). Example: (climate change OR global warming) AND (agriculture OR farming)
Phrase Searching
Use quotation marks for exact phrases. Example: "artificial intelligence"
Truncation
Use * for word variations. Example: educat* finds education, educate, educational
Field Searching
Search specific fields: author, title, subject. Example: author:Smith AND title:climate
Source Types
What to look for
Academic
- • Peer-reviewed journals
- • Academic books
- • Conference proceedings
- • Dissertations/theses
Professional
- • Industry reports
- • Government publications
- • Trade publications
- • Statistical databases
Evaluating Source Quality
Source Evaluation
The CRAAP Test
Comprehensive evaluation
C - Currency
- • When was it published?
- • Has it been updated?
- • Does topic require current info?
R - Relevance
- • Does it relate to your topic?
- • Who is the intended audience?
- • Is it appropriate level?
A - Authority
- • Who is the author?
- • What are their credentials?
- • Publisher reputation?
A - Accuracy
- • Is information supported by evidence?
- • Are sources cited?
- • Has it been peer-reviewed?
P - Purpose
- • Why was it created?
- • Is there bias?
- • Is it fact, opinion, or propaganda?
Red Flags to Avoid
Warning signs
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No author identified or anonymous
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No citations or references
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Excessive grammatical errors
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Sensationalist or clickbait titles
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Domain suggests unreliability (.com.co, etc.)
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Clear bias or agenda without evidence
Managing Your Research
Note-Taking and Organization
Effective Note-Taking
Capture useful information
What to Record
- • Full citation (do this first!)
- • Key arguments/findings
- • Important quotes (with page)
- • Methodology
- • Your reflections/questions
Methods
- • Cornell notes
- • Annotated bibliographies
- • Research journals
- • Digital tools (Notion, Evernote)
- • Index cards (traditional)
Citation Management
Stay organized
Recommended Tools
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Zotero: Free, browser integration, Word plugin
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Mendeley: Free, PDF management, collaboration
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EndNote: Paid, industry standard
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RefWorks: Often free through universities
Avoiding Plagiarism
Use sources ethically
Best Practices
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Direct quotes: Use sparingly, always with quotation marks and citation
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Paraphrasing: Restate in your own words AND cite
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Summarizing: Condense main points AND cite
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Common knowledge: No citation needed (but be careful what counts)