Writing & Research Tools: Research Process

In academia, the process of doing research often has a specific methodology or procedure. On the surface, the process can look fairly simple. But it is often quite messy! 

Watch "The Research Process is Complex" (1:38 mins) to learn more about what you can expect as you approach your academic research assignments.

The Research Process is Complex from UCSB Library on Vimeo.

Choosing Your Topic

Whether you are given the opportunity to choose your own topic entirely or you're prompted to follow rigid guidelines, it is always worthwhile to...

• Review your assignment requirements and deadlines before you begin your research
• Connect questions or ideas that are interesting to you and relevant to the research task
• Make connections to the major concepts and keywords from existing or known sources
• Be prepared to broaden or narrow your research topic along the way

Finding Sources

For many of your assignments, you will be asked to use Library resources to find sources. Check out this short video about the types of resources you can find in UCSB Library Search. Before you begin your search, it is worthwhile to take the time to use some of the following strategies to ensure your success:

• If you don't know a lot about the topic you are researching, spend some time using non-academic sources (e.g., Google, Wikipedia) to learn a little more. Gathering background information on your topic will help you more effectively locate relevant sources using library search tools
• Develop a list of keywords and phrases that you can use to locate sources on the topic
• Look at the "Research Strategies" tab on this guide for more tips

Evaluating Sources

Evaluating your sources is an important part of any research project. You can view the Library's short video on source evaluation here, and use ACT-UP as one criteria for evaluating your resources for relevance, credibility, and how they inform you about your topic. Whatever method you use, ask yourself some of the following questions about your sources:

• Identify what subjects the authors are experts in. (What university or research department do they work in? What degrees or other credentials do they have? What does their background tell you about how they approach this topic?)
• Identify what type of publication you are reading. Are you being asked to find specific source types for your project (like peer-reviewed articles?)
• Scan the sources you find for important words and phrases in the titles and abstracts/summaries. Don't forget to look at the conclusion to see the outcome of the authors' research!

Sharing Your Findings

Your final research project is your opportunity to show off the hard work you have put into selecting a topic, finding sources related to the topic and discipline or subject, and the careful evaluation and analysis you used to come to this understanding. What you learn during your research process is also important in contributing to larger conversations about your topic. Each research project is an opportunity to develop your own skills and identity as a researcher and member of a scholarly community. Here are some ways in which you will do this:

• Share your research process and findings as directed by the research assignment
• Cite the sources you used appropriately and use a consistent citation style. Check out the UCSB Library's Citation Styles LibGuide for resources on how to do this!
• Think about your research process overall. What worked well for you? What didn't? How would you like to improve as a researcher in the future?