Research Strategy

re·search n.

1. Scholarly or scientific investigation or inquiry.
2. Close, careful study.

Research means searching again – finding and studying what others have written with the hope of seeing or adding something new. It can be a time-consuming process to search through the vast amount of available material for specific information pertinent to you. Experienced researchers have found that by following a search strategy, they can save time and avoid unnecessary frustration.

The following steps outline an effective strategy for finding information to support
a research paper in religious studies, the humanities and social sciences.

• Choosing a Topic
• Focus Your Topic
• Finding Background Information
• Preparing a Search

Choosing a Topic

Your enjoyment of research and the quality of your final product depends a great deal on the topic that you chose. A topic that is too broad will leave you a bewildering array of facts and ideas that cannot be handled in a short paper. A topic too narrow or too new will leave you stranded with a few lonely facts to stretch over many pages. A topic that bores you will bore your readers.

When choosing a topic, keep in mind the following important factors:

1. Choose a topic that excites you, and that you can make interesting to your readers.

2. Choose a topic that you can cover adequately within the time and word limit assigned.

3. Choose a topic that can be documented in the library. Avoid subjects too new or of such limited, local interest that they are unlikely to be in discussed in books or journals.

4. You must be able to find facts and ideas supporting the points that you make in your paper.

Focus Your Topic

State your topic as a question.

List other questions that you must answer to address the topic.

Topic: What are the effects of television violence on children?

Questions:

• How many hours of television do children watch?
• How are violent children's programs identified?
• How many acts of violence are in some typical children's cartoon?
• Are there research studies that have observed children before and after watching a violent program?

Finding Background Information

Refer to encyclopedias for an overview of the topic and check dictionaries for unfamiliar terms. The research guide will list starting points such as key bibliographies in an area, and books that discuss how to conduct research in a particular field, how to write an essay, and how to prepare a bibliography.

Preparing to Search Electronic Indexes

Underline the main concepts or keywords in your topic statement. Brainstorm for related words that express the topic in preparation for searching the online catalogue.