Introduction

Writing a research paper requires several steps and is an “iterative” process – meaning that you may need to go back a step or two if, for example, you cannot find exactly what you’re looking for.  It can be frustrating but don’t be discouraged!  Here is a guide to help you successfully navigate the exciting world of research…

Table of Contents

• Choosing a Topic
  • Brainstorm
  • Develop Your Topic
  • Refine Your Topic
• Researching Your Topic
  • Books
  • Articles
  • Web
• Analyzing and Evaluating Your Resources
• Writing Your Paper

Choosing a Topic

• Brainstorm

  Choosing a topic or research question for your project can be a long and arduous task, and may be the hardest part of writing a research paper. Here are some questions that can help you through the process of finding a topic:

  • What is your professor asking for?
  • What topics do your class lectures and/or textbook cover?
  • What interests or appeals to you? What are you curious about?
  • What do you feel strongly about?
  • What topics challenge the way you currently think about an issue?
  • What topics can you find authoritative information on?

  Some resources that may lead you to a topic are:

  • Textbooks
  • Your professor or classmate(s) ~ valuable “human resources” for brainstorming ideas!
  • Lecture notes
  • Current newspapers or periodicals, particularly journals in the field
         Browse the Current Periodicals section of the library (2nd floor)
  • Specialized resources
         Peruse subject-specific encyclopedias and/or dictionaries available in the reference collection (these sources contain helpful bibliographies and help to familiarize you with the specialized language, or terminology, of the discipline)

• Develop Your Topic

  Once you identify your topic, you can now break it down into workable search terms and research questions.
  • First, state your topic as a question.
    Ex: What effect does alcohol abuse have on college students?
  • Next, identify the main concepts or keywords in your question.
    Ex: alcohol abuse, college students
  • Finally, identify any synonyms and other related words.
    Ex: alcoholism, binge drinking, young adults

    Sample Questions	Keywords	Synonyms & Related Words
    What effect does alcohol abuse have on college students?	alcohol abuse, college students	alcoholism, binge drinking, young adults
    What are the consumer risks of online shopping?	consumer risks, online shopping	Internet, electronic commerce, data encryption
    Does globalization lower workers' wages and export jobs?	globalization, workers, wages, jobs	international economic relations, labor

  
  
  • Use the keywords and synonyms/related words you have identified as search terms. * Source: http://www.library.unr.edu/instruction/help/research2.html
• Refine Your Topic

  With the search terms you derived from the above step, conduct some preliminary searches on your topic. This will show you whether or not there are enough relevant and available resources at the library. Depending on your results, it may be necessary to modify or refine your topic. If you find too many books and/or articles, you should consider narrowing your topic to something more specific. Broad topics are hard to write about because too much information is available. On the other hand, if you find too few resources, consider broadening your topic. Topics that are too obscure and specific can be just as hard to write about as topics that are too broad. If you haven't found anything at all in the library, consider choosing a new topic by consulting your professor or a librarian if necessary.

Researching Your Topic

• Books:

  Books can provide an in-depth examination of a topic, as well as a good introduction to a topic with which you are unfamiliar.

  • Search the CATALOG to see what KU owns. Be sure to do one of the keyword searches, the broadest type of search.
  • Search UBorrow (14 SSHE libraries) or PALCI E-ZBorrow to find/request books owned by other libraries. Also try Inter-Library Loan if a book is not available via these two services (or if you need an article from a journal to which the library does not subscribe).

• Articles:

  An important aspect of writing a research paper is knowing the differences between scholarly journal articles and popular magazine articles. You need to ask your professor what type of article is required - research papers usually cite scholarly articles.

  • Helpful information on distinguishing scholarly periodical sources from popular sources:
      http://www.lib.utsa.edu/Research/Subject/scholarlyguide.html
      http://www.library.fau.edu/depts/instsrv/tutorial/artic1.htm
  • To find articles on a specific topic, search a specialized database for your field. Refer to the Kutztown Library's list of topical databases:
      Topical Databases
  • To search for a topic not covered in the topical databases, search multi-disciplinary databases such as those listed below. These periodical databases cross disciplines and also provide access to both popular and scholarly articles.
       EBSCO/Academic Search Premier
       ProQuest
  • If you do not know how to access/use any of the above databases, please ask a reference librarian! We’re happy to help. Also, remember to limit your search results to Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed (by selecting this option on the main search page) if your professor wants you to use scholarly articles only!

• Web:

  To supplement the information you’ve found in our databases or catalog, you can try a search on the Internet. Search a website where the information has already been organized and evaluated for you, such as:

  • Infomine
  • Librarian’s Index to the Internet
  • Scout Report

  Try advanced searching in Google.  For high quality information, limit to a specific kind of web site (.edu, .gov, or even .org).  For example: Type in the keywords describing your topic, followed by site:edu, in the search box.

Analyzing and Evaluating Your Resources

The Last Step! -- Writing Your Paper

• Outline to organize your thoughts and present them coherently.

• Your First Draft--get your ideas down and make sure you avoid plagiarizing from your sources.

• Revise Your Paper--reread, proofread, revise!

• Final Draft

• Cite your Sources

  Make sure your citations fit the style format required by your professor. The Library offers resources to help you properly cite your sources: Citing Sources.