United States History:
Steps of the Research Process

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I. Begin the research process:

  1. Begin your research early--research takes time
  2. Understand the requirements of the research paper--know your instructor's expectations
  3. How long should the paper be?
  4. When is it due?
  5. What is the research goal?
  6. What sources should you use?
  7. What citation style should you use?
  8. Be prepared by carrying notecards at all times or use NoodleBib to keep your notes
  9. Take efficient notes
  10. Be diligent about citing your sources--record identifying information in the correct format on a separate, numbered notecard the first time you touch the source or in NoodleBib

II. Developing a topic

  1. Choose a topic that interests you and will sustain your interest
  2. Keep the topic manageable--narrow and focused enough to be interesting, but broad enough to find enough information for the assignment
  3. Narrow your topic by geographic region, culture, time frame, event or aspect, discipline or subject, or person or group
  4. Look for "a point you can argue for or against, an idea you can compare or contrast, a cause and effect relationship you can explain, a main point that can be divided into sub-points, or a question you can answer"
  5. Think like a journalist to probe your topic more closely with the following questions: who?, what?, when?, where?, how?, and why?
  6. Be aware that local information may be more difficult to find-you will have to use local sources (academic or public libraries, historical societies, etc.)
  7. Be flexible--the topic might need to be modified (narrowed or broadened) depending on the information available
  8. Discuss your ideas with your teacher or a reference librarian
  9. Browse through your text book for ideas
  10. Browse through previous issues of the Buttonball Papers for ideas

III. Locating background information, identifying search terms, and testing your topic

  1. Browse through specialized encyclopedias for topic ideas and/or background information
  2. Read a general encyclopedia article (World Book, Britannica) on your top two or three ideas for background information
  3. Pick out major concepts or keywords from every source you browse-- identify synonyms and broader and narrower terms
  4. Collect these keywords for later research--they are excellent search terms
  5. Test your topics by searching the catalog (for books) or research databases (for articles) to determine how much information is readily available on them
  6. Use the bibliographies of reference sources to locate additional sources

IV. Formulating a thesis statement

  1. As you read about your chosen topic, write down questions that come to mind about the topic
  2. Define your topic as a focused research question
  3. Compose a draft thesis statement--one or two sentences that convey the focus, purpose, and meaning of your research (more examples)
  4. A thesis statement: "is specific", "is an assertion, not a statement of fact or observation", "takes a stand rather than announces a subject", is the main idea, not the title" of the paper, is sufficiently narrow so that it can be supported (LEO)
  5. A thesis statement also "makes a promise to the reader about the scope, purpose, and direction of the paper"; "identifies the relationships between the pieces of evidence that you are using to support your argument"; and "states the conclusions that you have reached about your topic" (The Writing Center)
  6. While you are conducting your research, ask yourself how the information you are gathering helps to answer your research question or support your thesis statement
  7. The thesis may evolve as you "develop new insights, find new evidence, or take a different approach to your topic" (The Writing Center)

V. Committing to your topic/Changing your topic

  1. According to Writing History: A Guide for Students, "the process of finding sources, forming a hypothesis, and crafting a proposal will test the viability of your topic"
  2. If through this process, you find you are no longer interested in your topic, find another one
  3. If you must abandon your topic, DO IT EARLY RATHER THAN LATER--it will be much more difficult to start anew if you wait
  4. Maintaining an interest in your topic is crucial to a successful research project

VI. Finding books in library catalogs

  1. Start by searching the Boyden Library catalog
  2. Use the subject search to locate all information on a subject grouped under one subject heading
  3. Use the keyword search to narrow your search by combining multiple concepts with Boolean operators (AND, OR)--AND narrows; OR broadens
  4. Subject headings are good search terms in the catalog and research databases--collect all subject headings identified during searching
  5. See Boolean Logic and Keyword Search Concepts for help with searching more efficiently
  6. Use other library catalogs to locate materials not owned at the Boyden Library
  7. Use Interlibrary Loan to obtain those materials
  8. Use the bibliography of any book to identify additional resources and use ILL to obtain them if they are not available in the library
  9. Keep collecting major concepts or keywords from every source you browse

VII. Finding articles in research databases or periodical indexes

  1. Databases are electronic indexes
  2. Access to information by subject is a primary advantage of an index
  3. Some research databases provide the full text of all articles--others provide full text for some articles and citations for others
  4. Some research databases provide reference articles in addition to periodical articles
  5. Research databases became available in the 1980's--many do not include older articles
  6. Some databases provide scanned articles from publications prior to 1980 or the text of older primary documents
  7. The Boyden Library subscribes to a variety of historical databases
  8. The handout History Databases at the Boyden Library describes each database and how to search it
  9. Use the unique search capabilities of each tool to search most efficiently--subject search if the tool provides that option
  10. See Searching Skills for help with understanding what databases are and how to search efficiently
  11. Keep collecting major concepts or keywords from every source you browse
  12. Use the reference lists of all articles to identify additional resources
  13. The Periodical List is a finding tool for the periodicals owned by the library in paper, microfilm, or microfiche format
  14. Consult the Periodical List when full text is not available in the databases or a citation for a good article is identified in a bibliography or reference list
  15. Use Interlibrary Loan to obtain articles not available in the library

VIII. Finding Internet resources

  1. Start the search for Internet resources by exploring the quality websites for U.S. History that Deerfield librarians have collected--the list includes primary sources, digital collections, historical maps, historical statistics and more
  2. Rather than using a search engine, explore subject directories for quality websites--the sites have been selected and evaluated by librarians and academics
  3. Use the advanced searching capabilities of regular search engines to narrow your search using Boolean logic, by domain (.edu, .gov, .org), and more
  4. Try using "special collection" or "archive" in your Internet search to find libraries that collect materials on your topic--some of these materials may be digitized
  5. All Internet sites must be evaluated based on authorship, publishing body, point of view or bias, presence of references, accuracy, and currency

IX. Citing your sources in the proper format

  1. The DA History Department uses MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
  2. The handbook is available in paper format at the Reference Desk and in the circulating collection (808.02 M689m)
  3. The citation management tool NoodleBib provides assistance with citing sources properly in MLA format and a place to collect the works cited during the research process
  4. For additional assistance with citing your sources properly, consult the MLA Bibliographic Citation Style Guide handout
  5. It is your responsibility to understand what plagiarism is and how to avoid it

Style Manuals and Writing References in the Boyden Library

Research Paper Resources

Sources