The research process can be a little different for everyone. You'll learn what works best for you over time. The main steps in the process are broken down and explained below to help you walk through the necessary components.

Step 1: Choose a Topic

This simple step of choosing a topic can often be challenging. Here are some tips:

Pick something that interests you and that you want to learn more about. You'll be working with this topic for a while, so choose something that you're curious about and will hold your interest.
Take your time. It's okay to spend some time on this step and explore different possibilities before committing to a topic.
Be open to trying out different topics. It's possible that once you start searching, you'll change your topic based on what you're finding.
Make sure the topic fits the needs of the assignment. Read or reread the description for the assignment and note any directions about topic choices.
Be flexible in narrowing or broadening your ideas. If your topic is too narrow, you may not be able to find many (or any!) resources on it. If your topic is too broad, you may have trouble completing the assignment and thoroughly discussing the issues.

Example Spectrum of Broad to Narrow Topics
Too Broad	Just Right	Too Narrow
Early Childhood Education	What are the long-term effects of picky eating in preschool?	How does picky eating affect growth and development for preschoolers in China?

Step 2: Background Research/Identifying Keywords

Wikipedia / Google

Sometimes in our research we do not know where to begin, or we might have a sense of the starting place but have very little background information on our topic. While we rarely recommend using sources like Wikipedia and general Google results in research, using these search tools can provide quick access to basic / high level information on a topic. Note that Wikipedia information changes frequently but the editorial processes are strict and changes are often reviewed quickly by fellow editors. Consider watching our tutorial video on Wikipedia. We recommend looking at Wikipedia's Research Guide as well.

When googling information, note that many times the snippets that appear above the search results will only give a partial view on a topic or partial answer to a question. Consider looking for .EDU or .GOV sources in the search results, even if you are only using it for introductory information. Note the suggested searches that Google recommends, and don't be afraid to experiment with your search phrases to cast a wider net with your search.

Consider looking at Google News and Google Images for additional types of information. For initial searching, we do not recommend using Google Scholar. Finally, we have a tutorial video on Google Advanced Search that you might find useful.

Topic Keywords

At the beginning of the research process, it's good to gather some basic understanding of concepts or background and context for your topic. Conducting this beginning research provides foundational knowledge on your topic, but it also helps you identify keywords that you'll use in when searching in the Library's repositories. Keywords are words or phrases that define your topic the most. For the example topic, "What are the long-term effects of picky eating in preschool?" the keywords would be "picky eating" and "preschool." These two phrases encompass the topic without extra filler words. Using only keywords in your searching will help the Library's search engine be more effective.

Synonyms

When using library databases, searching multiple times with different keywords will provide more results for you to choose from. Try using synonyms, words that are different, but mean the same thing. You may be surprised how varied your search results may be when searching by a synonym. For example, using the keyword "covid" will produce different results than "coronavirus." At this stage of your research, try to think of as many synonyms for your topic as possible to give you options while you're searching in the Library's databases.

Step 3: Searching for Information

What is Library Search?

Library Search is our primary search platform for finding books, movies, articles, technology, and more. Library Search contains the catalog of all our physical materials, and provides access to many of our research databases (described in the next section). You can think of Library Search as a one-stop-shop for almost all research needs at LWTech.

Signing into Library Search (using the "Sign in" button in the upper right) will give you access to your library account (including showing what materials you have checked out), your saved searches, and your saved resources. We recommend learning how to sign in and saving your research work to save time across multiple sessions.

To learn more about using Library Search, check out our tutorial video.

What are Research Databases / External Search Platforms?

While Library Search contains most of the information provided by the LWTech Library, it is not the only way to access information. We also provide direct access to the research databases, and you can visit each website individually.

But what are research databases? You can think of them as websites, managed by specific research companies, providing access to information based on either a specific topic or format. For example, EBSCO and ProQuest are primarily research article databases; Artstor is a visual art database; Kanopy is a streaming video database. There are countless databases, which you will come to learn as you do your research and access information, and you may find yourself preferring certain databases over others as you learn more about them.

Database Access on the LWTech Website

You can access the databases through our Research Databases page. This page is divided into multiple sections. "Restricted to LWTech" contains links to the databases we pay to access, and you must login to visit these databases. Open Databases are those recommended databases which also happen to be free to the public. The Public Library Databases are provided by King County Library System (KCLS), and all LWTech students have access to these. While they are not necessarily academic, some of them may be useful in your research.

We also provide links to the eBook databases, have a "Search by Subject" section so you can find databases related to your academic discipline, and an A-Z list which provides the full list of all the databases we recommend.

The librarians are happy to provide more information about and support in using these databases by request.

Step 4: Evaluation/Selecting Sources

There are many ways to evaluate and select the sources you use for your project or paper. We recommend using one of the following frameworks, which keeps evaluation simple and straightforward. Neither method is better than the other; some prefer one and others prefer the other! Try both and see what works for you.

The TRAP Method

TRAP is an acronym to help you remember certain concepts or questions you should ask about a resource before deciding to use it. TRAP stands for: Timeliness, Relevance, Authority, and Purpose. Here are some questions you can think about when evaluating a resource using TRAP:

Timeliness
- When was it published? (year)
- Is being current important to the topic?
- Does the date of the information affect its accuracy?
Relevance
- Is it on your topic?
- Does it meet the needs of your assignment?
- How deeply is your topic covered in this source?
Authority
- Are the authors or publishing organization named?
- Is it peer-reviewed?
Purpose
- Who is the audience? (everyone/researchers)
- Why was this written/published?
- Does it show bias?

The SIFT Method

The primary purpose of using SIFT is to have a process to respond to the automated nature of using information we find during research. SIFT is great for popular sources, including news, blogs, and social media, because it asks us to question everything we are exposed to before reading / viewing it.

SIFT stands for:

Stop
Investigate the source
Find better coverage
Trace claims, quotes and media to the original context

By following this process, you are asked to check what you're looking at and think deeply about what the information is, verify the information with other sources, and find the roots of the information. This will help you determine if the source you're looking at is actually a strong source or if it's better to skip it and find something better to use in your work.

Want to learn more? We recommend the University of Chicago SIFT Method Guide!

Step 5: Using Information

Ethical Use and Plagiarism

The research process can also be thought of as an ongoing conversation among scholars. As you find and read resources, you are hearing what past scholars have studied and thought. When you complete your assignments, you are adding your own voice to the conversation. It's important to give credit to those voices and be sure to cite where ideas come from.

Plagiarism is when a person takes someone else's work or ideas and makes them seem like their own. Plagiarizing is a major offense in academia and can have serious consequences. Be sure to cite a resource anytime you quote or summarize ideas that are not your own. Video Copyright, Plagiarism and Computer Code

Creating Citations

Documenting the information you use in your writing is one of the most important aspects of conducting research. Before you start creating citations (references to your sources), you need to check with your course requirements. There are a variety of citation formats available and professors almost always require a specific format in their course. If the syllabus does not provide information on these requirements, ask your professor directly.

The library supports the following three styles:

American Psychological Association (APA) - APA Quick Style Guide, Video Creating APA Citations by Research Format
Modern Language Association (MLA) - MLA Quick Style Guide
American Medical Association (AMA) - AMA Quick Style Guide

You can learn more about these styles and access helpful guides for learning about the styles and their citation formats on our Citation Tools page. This page also contains descriptions and links for our recommended citation management tools, including: MyBib, ZoteroBib, and Zotero. These tools can save you a lot of time in managing research and creating citations.

Getting Help

There may be a time in your research when you need help. It's always okay to ask for help from your professor, your peers, or your librarian. Please reach out over email or phone, or in-person to ask your question or have a conversation with your librarian. We can also set up an appointment to make sure your needs are met when it's convenient for you. Also remember that our 24/7 chat system is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

We look forward to working with you and making sure you succeed in your research!