4 Research as a Process
Here’s an overview from Elsa Loftis, our Art Librarian at PSU (and a useful person to contact with research questions in addition to your instructor):
One of the first things you should understand about research is that it is an investigative process.
The New Oxford American Dictionary describes research as:
“The systematic search for answers to certain questions, often using empirical evidence but also using logical arguments and reflection on social understandings. The search may aim at discovering facts, putting forward theories, increasing understanding, and/or changing practice.”
“research.” Oxford Reference. 28 Jul. 2019.
It is useful for our purposes to dwell on that for a moment. “Research” as we describe it here is systematic, and involves more than referencing something quickly for a short answer. Looking up the phone number to a local restaurant online is not research. Glancing at a map of the United States because you forgot the capital of South Dakota is not research. A key component to information literacy having the ability to recognize your information needs.
It is not often that you simply decide on a topic and then go find the exact materials you need to get all the answers you’re looking for. It’s a process. You might come up on dead ends, there might be more out there on a topic than you can realistically digest, or maybe your idea is so specific that there hasn’t been much written about it. It’s important to remember that the research process is a creative activity. Good researchers need to have perseverance and sometimes a lot of imagination.
Consider the graphic below. This is a very basic example of a concept map, or some people refer to it as a mind map. The format and the aesthetic may or may not appeal to you, but it’s just an illustration of what this could look like. If you are in the early stages of a research project, sometimes doing an exercise like filling this in can be useful.
If you can identify a central topic or theme that you are interested in exploring, you could put that in the center and see what relates to it. If the topic is extremely new or unfamiliar, sometimes going to a tertiary source, like an encyclopedia, or the much-maligned Wikipedia could be useful to dip your toe into the proverbial waters. These kinds of resources will give you a very broad overview of a topic or theme. Stay aware while you’re in these first stages. Notice any synonyms, names or relationships, or even alternative terms that come up when you’re doing your first searches. Use these to add to your concept map to see how they relate to your central topic, or how your topic is described elsewhere.
These are some basic and preliminary steps to searching for information. Once you have these first “What to search” questions answered, the next step is “Where to search”. Please see the brief video below from the PSU library called “Where to search for resources on your topic”
Remember, your research route will likely change, and you’ll get redirected a few times, sometimes achieving a different outcome than you had imagined. The basic idea is that you start with choosing a topic. Figure out if it’s a topic that you can work with: is it too broad, too narrow, or just right? Then, make a plan. What kind of information do you need to explore this topic, and where is it going to come from? Where do these resources land in the information cycle? Do I have access to them, or have they even been created yet? Go out and find your resources. Then, you must do the work of reading them, synthesizing them to support your ideas or learn something entirely new. This will eventually culminate into your finished product which might be a research paper, a presentation, or just new knowledge that you wanted to attain. In the next sections, we’ll explore some details about how to get the best results when you search for information.
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More about Research as a Process
If you’d like to explore the topic of how research is process more thoroughly, this video gives an overview:
Also, don’t forget that your instructor is always happy to offer a little coaching on how this applies to your research topic.
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Check Your Understanding
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