The Research Process

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Senior High School

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Research, like many activities, is accomplished in steps as a process. If a researcher follows these steps, it can make a research project a lot less confusing or intimidating. Use the checklist below to help you through a research project successfully.
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THE RESEARCH PROCESS	Check if Completed	HOW CAN I ACCOMPLISH THIS?
PRE-SEARCH STEP #1 CHOOSE THE RIGHT TOPIC Your topic should not be too broad or too narrow.		Brainstorm keywords and terms related to your topic. Use these when you search online or in print indexes. Brainstorm what you know about your topic and what you want to find out.
PRE-SEARCH STEP #2 KNOW YOUR PROJECT PLAN What type of final project is expected?		Clarify the project with your teacher. Find out if you will need to prepare a text only presentation or if graphic images are needed. Does your project require you need to find viewpoints, statistical information, and/or primary sources?
PRE-SEARCH STEP #3 CHOOSE YOUR RESOURCES Which non-fiction resources contain the types of information you need?		Brainstorm resources you may already be familiar with or have used. Write those resources down with your project instructions. Ask Mrs. Santillo in the library which resources might be the best choices. Refer to the Choosing Information Resources on this Web site.
RESEARCH STEP #1 BEGIN YOUR RESEARCH Refer to the keywords and related terms you previously brainstormed. Narrow your search if you are getting information unrelated to your topic; broaden your search if you are not finding enough information.		Use the keywords and related terms in your search strategies online, using keyword or natural language searches, or look for them in the index of a print resources, such as books, encyclopedias, and almanacs. Use the words and, or, or not, also known as Boolean Operators, to broaden or narrow your searches. AND - using and between keywords narrows your search and lessens your search results. For example, if you entered the search term, teenagers AND alcohol, both the topic of teenagers and of alcohol should appear in the content of each search hit. OR - using or between keywords broadens your search and increases your search results. For example, if you entered the search term, twins OR multiple births, either the topic of twins or multiple births should appear in the content of each search hit. NOT - using not between keywords also narrows your search and lessens your search results. For example, if you are searching for information about hurricanes, but you did not want information about the college football team, the Miami Hurricanes, to appear with your results, you would enter your search hurricanes NOT football.
RESEARCH STEP #2 ORGANIZE YOUR INFORMATION What guidelines were provided by your teacher?		Follow your teacher's guidelines if they were provided to you, such as keeping note cards, etc. Write an outline for your project. Summarize your main idea. Look for relationships in the information you locate. Group related information together (ex. color code cards). Draw conclusions from your information to close your project. Prepare visual aids if needed.
RESEARCH STEP #3 PRESENT YOUR INFORMATION What guidelines were provided by your teacher?		BE PREPARED AND CONFIDENT!!

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Last Updated 09/19/2006