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11/20/13 Research Process: An Overview - Universi ty Library Research Guides at Golden Gate Universi ty

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Research Process: An Overview

Guide Information

Last

Updated:

Sep 11, 2013

Guide URL: http://ggu.libguides.com/researchDescription: This guide outlines the steps in the research process from

developing a topic to crediting sources.

Tags: apa citation, research, research process, writing

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Guide IndexChoosing a Topic

Refining Your Topic

Finding InformationEvaluating Your Sources

Crediting Your Sources: APA Citation

Choosing a Topic

Contents

Getting Started

Brainstorm Questions

Finding Topic Ideas Online

Read Background Information

Goldilocks Approach Video

5W's Approach Video

TIP: Keywords

The Goldilocks Approach

Goldilocks is a character in an English fairy tale who wanders into an empty house in the woods . She finds food that's too hot, too cold, and just right; chairs that are too hard,

too soft, and jus t right... you get the picture. You want to find a topic that is no t too broad, not too narrow, butjust right.

The 5 W's Approach

Narrow your topic by brainstorming Who, What, When, Where, and Why. For example, who is involved in a company's operations: managers, suppliers, labor, customers, and so

on. Can you get even more specific within these categories?

TIP: Keywords

Keywords are the main terms that describe your research question or topic. Keep track of these words so you can use them when searching for books and articles.

1. Identify the main concepts in your research ques tion. Typically there should only be two or three main concepts.

2. Look for keywords that best describe these concepts.
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3. You can look for keywords when reading background inform ation or encyclopedia articles on your topic

4. Use a thesaurus, your textbook and subject headings in databases to find different keywords.

Getting Started

Choosing your topic is the first step in the research process. Be aware that selecting a good topic m ay not be easy. It must be narrow

and focused enough to be interesting, yet broad enough to find adequate information.

#1 Research tip:Pick a topic that interests you. You are going to live with this topic for weeks whi le you research, read, and write your

assignment. Choose something that will hold your interest and that you might even be excited about. Your attitude towards your topic

will come across i n your writing or presentation!

Brainstormingis a technique you can use to help you generate ideas. Below are brainstorming exercises and resources to help you

come up with res earch topic ideas.

Brainstorm Questions

Ask yourse lf the following ques tions to help you generate topic ideas :

Do you have a strong opinion on a current social or political controversy?

Did you read or see a news story recently that has interested you?

Do you have a personal iss ue, problem or interest that you would like to know more about?

Is there an aspect of one of your classes that you would like to learn more about?

Finding Topic Ideas Online

Try the resources below to help you get ideas for possible research topics:

* Opposing Viewpoints- this series pres ents all sides of current issues s uch as illegal im migration, health care and the death penalty. This is a good s ource for finding

and getting background information as well as getting ideas for a topic.

* Congressional Digest- sim ilar to Opposing Viewpoints, this series takes a pro & con approach. A great resource to learn about both si des of a topic it can be found in our

stacks- Ref JK 1. C65

* CQ Researcher- this database provides news and analysis of American government, politics, history, public policy, current affairs, and controversial topics. Each report

contains a s ynopsis and dis cussion of the issue, a pro/con section and bibl iography. This is another great resource for topic ideas and background information.

* Idea Generator- this website lets you browse through thousands of keywords and phrases, organized by subject areas, to help you come up with topic ideas.

* Google News- this site provides national and international news on a variety of subjects gathered from over 4,000 s ources.

* Use the Library's Articles and News databasesto browse contents of current magazines and newspapers. If you do not know how to browse current issues ask a

librarian for help.

Read Background Information

Read an encyclopedia article on the top two or three topics you are considering. Reading a broad summary enables you to get an overview of the topic and see how your

idea relates to broader, narrower, and related issues. If you cant find an article on your topic, ask a librarian for help.

* Encyclopedia Britannica Online- a general knowledge encyclopedia covering a wide-range of subjects.

* The Gale Virtual Reference Librarycontains several business focused encyclopedias s uch as The Encyclopedia of Managementand The Encyclopedia of

Emerging I ndustrieswhich m ay provide background information on possibl e topics.

* Use the Library'sArticles and News databasesto s earch for brief articles on your topic ideas.

* The Library's reference collection contains many general and special ized encyclopedias . Check the Library's catalogto see what items are available for you to

use in the Library.

Back to Top

Refining Your Topic

Contents

Steps to Refining your Topic

Assignment Guideli nes

Assign ing Lim its to Your Topic

The Research Question

Advanced Search Approach Video

1-minute Approach Video

TIP: Be Flexible
http://ggu.libguides.com/print_content.php?pid=447838&sid=3669855&mode=g#tophttp://library.ggu.edu/search~S0/X?SEARCH=%28encyclopedia%29&SORT=D&b=gbrefhttp://ggu.libguides.com/content.php?pid=336776&sid=3648958http://0-infotrac.galegroup.com.library.ggu.edu/itweb/ggusf_main?db=GVRLhttp://www.britannica.com/http://ggu.libguides.com/content.php?pid=336776&sid=3648958http://news.google.com/http://www.lib.odu.edu/researchassistance/ideagenerator/index.htmhttp://0-library.cqpress.com.library.ggu.edu/cqresearcher/


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The Advanced Search Approach

Searches with one term answer what is? type questions. Searches wi th at least two terms ans wer more complex questions that you can take a positionon. Imagine an

advanced search screen in a database -- what term will you put in each box?

The 1-minute Approach

You have a good working knowledge of your topic when you can talk for an entire minute without stopping. Where do you get all that information to fill up a minute? Us e

background information that you find in company and industry profiles, Datamonitor reports, encyclopedia articles, and on the web.

TIP: Be Flexible

It is common to modify your topic during the research process. You can never be sure of what you may find. You may find too much and need to narrow your focus, or too little

and need to broaden your focus. This is a normal part of the research process. When researching, you may not wish to change your topic, but you may decide that some other

aspect of the topic is m ore interesting or manageable.

Steps to Refining Your Topic

Once you have chosen a general topic idea the next step is to refine your topic and ulitmately to formulate a research question.

Cons ider the points be low to keep your research focused and on track. If you continue to have difficulties defining a topic talk to

your instructor or a librarian.

Assignment Guidelines

Before selecting your topic, make sure you know what your final project should look like. Each instructor will probably have different assignment requirements so be sure to readyour ass ignment thoroughly and check for specific guidelines concerning:

The number of sources you are required to use

The kinds of sources are you able to use - books vs. web sites vs. journal articles or a variety?

The type of research you are you being asked to conduct. - original research or review what research has been done?

The length of your final project - two-pages, ten pages, etc. or an informal, five minute presentation?

The depth of your project - Is your project an overview of the subject or in-depth and focused coverage of a specific aspect?

The scope you are required to cover - Is this an historical summary or a report of current developments?

You instructor will probably provide specific requirements for your assignment, if not the table below may provide a rough guide:

Assigned Length of Research Paper or Project Suggested Guidelines for Number & Types of Sources

1-2 page paper

2-3 magazine articles or Web sites

3-5 page paper4-8 items, i ncluding book, articles (scholarly and/or popular) and Web sites

Annotated bibliography6-15 items including books, scholarly articles, Web sites and other items
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10-15 page research paper 12-20 i tems, includ ing books , scho larly a rti cles , web si tes and other i tems

Assigning Limits to Your Topic

A topic will be very difficult to research if it is too broad or narrow. One way to narrow a broad topic is to ass ign lim its to what you will cover. Some comm on ways to limit a topic

are listed below using the broad topic, "the environment"as an example.

Limiter Example

geographical area

What environmental iss ues are mos t important in the Southwestern United States

cultureHow does the environment fit into the Navajo world view?

time frameWhat are the mos t prominent environmental iss ues of the las t 10 years?

disciplineHow does environmental awareness effect business practices today?

population groupWhat are the effects of air pollution on senior citizens?

Remember that a topic may be too difficult to research if it is too:

locally confined - Topics this s pecific may only be covered in these (local) newspapers, if at all.

Example: What sources of pollution affect the Genesee County water supply?

recent- If a topic is quite recent, books or journal articles may not be available, but newspaper or magazine articles may. Also, Web sites related to the topic may or may not

be available.

broadly interdisciplinary - You could be overwhelmed with s uperficial information.

Example: How can the environment contribute to the culture, politics and society of the Western states?

The Research Question

Once you have the topic you would like to research, the next step is forming your research ques tion. Your research ques tion should be focused and speci fc. The result shou ld

also be a ques tion for which there are two or more possible ans wers. See some examples below:

Broad Topic > Narrowed Topic > Focused Topic > Research Question

Wom en's health Wom en & cancer Wom en s mokers & breas t cancer Is there a connection between cigarette s moking and breast cancer

risk?

Computer

games

Computer game

violence

Computer game violence &

children

How does violence in computer games affect children?

Eating dis orders Teens & eating

disorders

Teen peer pressure & bulimia What role, if any, does peer pressure play in the development of bulimia in teens?

Back to Top

Finding Information

Information Sources

There are many different types of information sources that can be useful for your research. The chart below lists some common information sources with

examples of each to help you evaluate and select the best sources for your project.

SOURCE DESCRIPTION EXAMPLES

Newspapers Typically content revolves around current events. The focus is geared

toward the general public with articles written by journalists or

freelance reporters

The Wall

Street

Journal, The

New York

Times,

FinancialTimes

General

Interest

Magazines

Magazines usually cover current events and general interest subjects.

Articles from m agazines can help you generate ideas about is sues,

controversies, or unanswered ques tions about a topic, which you

might want to explore further. They sometimes refer to studies or

Time,

Newsweek,

Psychology

Today, The

Economist,
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scholarly work that you can track down for more information. Scientific

American

Trade

PublicationsTrade publications are written by and for professi onals within an

industry. These are an excellent source of very specific information

from inside the field.

Advertising

Age,

Marketing

Week,

Nation's

Restaurant

News,Investment

Weekly

Scholarly

JournalsScholarly journal articles go through a process of peer review before

they are published. They are written by experts in the field and their

purpose is to advance the ongoing body of work within the discipline.

These articles might present original res earch data and findings, or

take a position on a key question within the field. They can be difficult

to read, because their intended audience is other experts and

academics, but they are at the top of the line when it comes to

authoritative information.

Harvard

Business

Review,

Journal of

Applied

Psychology,

Academy of

Management

Review

Books &

eBooks

Books cover virtually any topic, fact or fiction. For research purposes,

you will probably be looking for books that synthesize all the

information on one topic to support a particular argument or thesis.

Books us ually provide in-depth and/or historical analysis of a s ubject.

Print books in

the library,

eBooks from

library

databases

Subscription

Databases

Subscription databases provide a variety of information on many

subjects. Some of the information you can obtain from databases

includes: news and journal articles, datasets, analyst reports,

diss ertations and company financial data.

OneSource,

Business

Source

Complete,

Proquest,

Morningstar

Websites,

Internet

The focus, content and authors of websites vary widely according to

each individual site. Always evaluate website information carefully.

Government,

company,

consumer,

university,

non-profit

organization,

etc.,

websites,

Wikipedia

Miscellaneous

Documents

Documents is a broad category and can be found in a variety of places

including the library, internet and databases that cover white papers,

working papers, newsletters, etc. Documents may contain industry

information, statistics, as well as potential ins ider information.

White

papers,

working

papers,

newsletters,

dissertations,

analyst

reports,

conference

proceedings,

etc...

Choosing the Right Database

The University Librarysubs cribes to many databases that will be useful for your research. The type of research you are doing and the questions you need

answered will he lp you determine which database to use . If you already know the name of the database you want to use go to the library's alphabetical database

list. You can also browse the library's database list by subjectto see what areas are covered by each database. Below are som e recommendations to help get

you started.

What are

you

looking

for?

Database Information Provided

Industry

information

IBIS World, OneSource,

GMID - Global Market

Information Database

Detailed reports on industry forecasts, market s hare, competitors, s upply chain,

etc.

Company

Information

(overviews)

Business Source

Complete, OneSource,

Lexis Nexis, PrivCo*

Annual reports, executive information , analyst reports, SWOT analyses,

competitors, bus iness description, company history, financial filings, etc. *Use

PrivCofor information on privately held companies.

Company

Information

(financials)

Mergent, OneSource,

Standard & Poor's Net

Advantage

Annual reports, ratio data, stock reports, SEC filings

Country

Information

EIU - Economist

Intelligence Unit, Lexis-

Nexis, Mergent, Business

Economic, financial, political and financial risk analysis for many countries. Also

consumer, market and dem ographic information.
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Source Complete, GMID

(Global Market Information

Database)

ArticlesBusiness Source

Complete, Proquest, SAGE

Journals, Emerald

Management Journals

For peer-reviewed, research focused journals covering a variety of disciplines

including business , humanities, science and medicine use SAGEor Emerald

databases. For articles from major newspapers , magazines, trade publications,

scholarly journals covering a wide range of dis ciplines s tart with Business Source

Completeor Proquest (multi-database search).

Back to Top

Evaluating Your Sources

Contents

Evaluating Sources: The Basics

Scholarly versus Popular

Website Evaluation

Further Reading...

Scholarly ve rsus Popular

Periodicals are print sources that are published weekly, monthly or quarterly, such as magazines, newspapers and journals. Instructors m ayrequire a variety of sources or l imit s ources to s cholarly journals.

Scholarly Journals contain articles written by professionals in the field. The articles may be original research or an extension of previous

research, illustrated with graphs, tables and have a list of references at the end. Articles submitted to a scholarly journal are peer-reviewed or

juried, meaning other experts read and sugges t revisi ons to the author before the final version is accepted for publica tion.

Popular magazines are not in-depth enough to be scholarly. The magazine may have an area of interest. Parentingis devoted to raising

children and Timeis a news magazine, but the articles are intended as overviews for general readers. Authors may or may not be named, there

may be illustrations or charts, but there won't be a bibliography at the end.

Further Reading...

Critical Evaluation of Resourcesfrom UC-Berkeley. Evaluating books, magazines and websi tes.

Critically Analyzing Information Sourcesfrom Cornell University. Guide for evaluating qual ity of source and appropriateness of content.

Evaluating Sources Research Guidefrom Lakeland Community College Library. Handout on evaluating websites and periodicals, identifying bias and links to other

resources.

Evaluating Sources: The Basics

A critical step in the research process is evaluating the information you found. It is important to select information that comes from a repu table source. Below are questions to

ask yourself when evaluating books, magazines and websites.

Publisher who published or s ponsored this work? Are they reputable?

Credentials who is the author (or authors)? Are qualifications or degrees l isted?

Accuracy can the information be verified in other respected sources?

Currency is the informations publishing date current enough for the topic of the research paper? For subject area that change frequently, like medicine, politics or finance,

use the most up-to-date information.

Bias does the author or publisher express an opinion (example: newspaper editorial) or is the information factual (like statistics). Does bias affect the informations

accuracy?

Audience who is the information written for a specific readership, level of expertise or age/grade level? Is the audience focus appropriate for a research paper?

Website Evaluation

Because the web is self-pulished, it requires the most critical analysis before use in a research paper.

Beyond the basic criteria mentioned for all resources look for additional proof of value in websites. Some hoax sites look very credible until viewed with a critical eye. Look for:
http://library.lakelandcc.edu/PDFs/research/evaluatingsources.pdfhttp://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/ref/research/skill26.htmhttp://www.lib.berkeley.edu/instruct/guides/evaluation.htmlhttp://ggu.libguides.com/print_content.php?pid=447838&sid=3669855&mode=g#top


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Mission/Vision/Purpose Statement reveals purpose of the website and point of view.

Credentials a well-regarded sponsoring organization or an expert author. (Webpage content may not list an individual author.)

Date of last revision this reveals how recently the content of a website has been reviewed.

Contact information is there a physical address and telephone number the researcher can use to contact a real person with questions?

Loaded language words that assign emotional value can be used to manipulate attitude. Patriot sounds better than vigilante, insurgency less scary than civil war.

Links do other reputable websites link to the website and does it link to other reputable si tes.

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Crediting Your Sources: APA Citation

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