Research Process - POLS 4490 - Budryte - Library Research Guides at Georgia Gwinnett College

Research 101

Research 101 This guide takes you through the Research Process.

Research Tools

Assignment Calculator The Assignment Calculator breaks down research and writing projects into manageable steps based on your due dates. Each step includes hints and "how-to" links. You can also sign up to get text reminders for each step.
Mindmeister Online Mind Mapping Mind mapping is a powerful technique that helps you visualize your thoughts and communicate them to others. What’s more, mind mapping encourages a free flow of ideas, which makes it the ideal format for brainstorming and creative problem solving sessions.

Videos: Research Process Quick Tips by CREDO

Research Questions to Your Conclusion
• Overview of the research gathering process used to support a thesis or hypothesis.
• Includes questions students may ask to draw conclusions based on their research findings.
How to Find Relevant Sources
• Presents search as a process that requires flexibility and open mindedness.
• Includes strategies to help students navigate towards the most relevant results.
How to Avoid Bias in Your Searches
• Encourages students to use neutral terminology to retrieve the most objective and relevant sources.
• Directs students to seek a balanced understanding of their research topic by consulting a variety of sources.
How to Select a Topic
• Reminds students that research is a process that requires flexibility and curiosity.
• Includes strategies to make connections between ideas and form a focused research question.
Using Pre-Research to Understand Your Topic
• Reminds students to make use of a variety of source types and background resources to fully understand their research topic.
• Includes strategies for locating related sources and other avenues of research.
What To Do When Your Topic is too Broad
• Introduces students to strategies for refining the scope of a research topic.
• Encourages students to engage in reflection and revision based on the analysis of their search results.
Why You Need Many Sources
• Encourages students to seek out multiple sources of information in order to gain a fuller understanding of their research topic
• Reminds students not to analyze information in isolation. Instead, students are encouraged to make connections between sources to get a sense of the full picture.
Synthesizing Research
• Illustrates the process of synthesizing information from multiple research sources.
• Includes a discussion about the purpose of background sources such as encyclopedias in building a student's understanding of a concept and its themes.
Using Images
• Explains the role of images in student's work, plus how to locate and evaluate found images for credible contextual and background information.
Quoting, Paraphrasing & Summarizng
• Outlines the purposes and characteristics of paraphrased and summarized statements and direct quotes.
• After watching this video, students will be able to select the most appropriate method of presenting information based on their assembled sources and assignment requirements.