Understanding Research

Research process
Select a topic
Refine a topic
Identify objectives Choose approach
Explore a topic
Plan a search
Evaluate info

Finding Books

Finding Articles

What are the Steps in the Research Process?

The research process should be understood as one of ongoing planning, searching, discovery, reflection, synthesis, revision, and learning, as shown in the image1 below:

Although no one researches in exactly the same way, the research process comprises basically 8 major steps that occur prior to the writing of a paper or creation of a presentation. As indicated in the image above, you may repeat those steps any number of times before you are finally finished with your research.

The first 4 steps focus on getting started and the last 4 steps focus on gathering information. This segment of the tutorial will help you understand steps 1-6; steps 7-8 are covered in Finding Books and Finding Articles.

Since research involves critical thinking, assessment, and evaluation, you will be evaluating what you find and what you read at every step of the process.

Once you have gathered your information, a couple of steps are still required as you prepare to write your paper/presentation:

Analyzing & evaluating the information, viewpoints, and arguments you have gathered to use in your paper and to support your own argument

Citing your sources (for more information, see the Library's "Citing Sources" and "Avoiding Plagiarism" guides )

Survivor Tip: Research is not a straight road, but a system of bends, crossroads, and turns. Sometimes you need to retrace your steps or change direction, depending on what you find.

Let's now explore what you need to do in each step.
Your First Step: Selecting Your Topic

1 The inspiration for the Research Process model image above was the reflective model from: Edwards, Sylvia and Bruce, C. "Reflective Internet Searching, an Action Research Model." In Action Learning, Action Research and Process Management, Theory, Practice Praxis. Action Research Unit, Griffith University. 5th World Congress of Action Learning, Action Research and Process Management, University of Ballarat, Victoria, September, pp. 141-152. Cited in Bruce, Christine Susan. "Information Literacy as a Catalyst for Educational Change: A Background Paper." U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. 22 May 2006. <http://www.nclis.gov/libinter/infolitconf&meet/papers/bruce-fullpaper.pdf>.