Library Research Help

Brainstorm main ideas, keywords, and associations that you already know. Consider the who, what, when, where, why of your topic.

• Who is involved/impacted? 
  • A specific age group, occupation, ethnic group, gender, etc. Who does/doesn't support it?
• What is the problem?
  • What is the issue facing the "who" in your topic? Are there any synonyms? 
• Where is it happening?
  • A specific country, region, city, physical environment, rural vs. urban, etc.
• When is this happening?
  • Is this a current issue or an historical event? Will you discuss the historical development of a current problem?
• Why/How is it happening / Why is this a problem?
  • You may want to focus on causes or argue the importance of this problem by outlining historical or current ramifications. Or you may decide to persuade your instructor and class why they should care about the issue.

Use Google or Wikipedia to gain a better understanding of your topic. What additional information do you notice? Note any keywords and/or topics that may help direct where you want to go with your research.

Any topic can be difficult to research if it is too broad or narrow. Start to narrow your topic by adding keywords. Add additional keywords to further narrow down your topic. It is common to modify your topic during the research process. 

Put together some keywords:

When you put your keywords together, you get a general idea in what direction you are taking your research paper.

It's rare to get exactly what you are searching for on the first try. Be flexible.

If you get too few results:

• try some synonyms for your topic and keywords, example: United States, U.S., America, USA
• try broader terms, example: mass murder, race extermination 
• check your spelling

If you have too many results:

• add keywords, example: United States Foreign Policy, Africa, Hutu, Tutsi