Master the Research Process: Start Here
The Research Fundamentals section is your starting point for mastering the basics of academic research. Whether you're just getting started or need help refining your process, this guide will equip you with the skills to:
- Learn how to take broad ideas and focus them into specific, researchable questions.
- Discover how to use the right words and search techniques to find relevant information quickly.
- Explore the range of sources available—books, ebooks, journals, articles, websites, and more—and when to use each one.
- Understand how information evolves over time, from breaking news to detailed scholarly analysis, and how to use this knowledge in your research.
Choose and Narrow a Research Topic
One of the first steps to any research project is to choose a topic. Depending on your assignment, this could be a bit daunting. Once you have chosen a general topic, you will need to focus in on something more specific. This process, which is often referred to as narrowing your topic, will help make searching easier because it will help you identify more keywords. Check out this example:
Music --- Hip Hop Music --- Hip Hop Music & Dance --- How have hip hop music videos influenced dance moves in other music genres?
This video provides a few strategies to help narrow your topic.