Research Essentials: Research Step-by-Step

Getting Started

This guide is designed to assist you in locating relevant and authoritative resources to use for your research assignments. Throughout this guide, you will learn how the library's resources and online research databases, is the ideal place to conduct your academic research.

The Seven Steps of the Research Process

1. Identify Your Topic.

State your topic as a question and identify the main concepts or keywords.
- Browse issues in Opposing Viewpoints (Current Events)
- How to Narrow your topic (Video)

2. Find Background Information.

Look up the keywords in scholarly encyclopedias and dictionaries.
Gale eBooks
Oxford English Dictionary

3. Find Books and Articles in WorldCat.

4. Find More Articles in Research Databases.

5. Evaluate What You Find.

Evaluating Sources

6. Cite Your Sources.

7. Get Help.

Ask a Research Librarian!

Adapted from: Olin Library, Cornell University Library

Improve your Research Skills!

Credo InfoLit - Core
InfoLit offers a series of videos, tutorials, and assessments designed to help students gain an understanding of the foundations of information literacy and critical thinking. Please note: Returning users who experience difficulty in accessing the database should clear their browser cache and try again.

Research Support

Need help finding articles or using the databases? The Libraries offer a wide range of research support.