There is no one correct way to do library research.  It is also true that research is not a linear enterprise, beginning with a topic on one end and following a straight line to produce a research paper on the other.  There are stops and starts along the way.  That said, we offer some suggestions to a plausible approach to the problem, especially if researching and writing a paper is a new experience for you.

Remember, You are Driving the Research

Perhaps the first principle to research is to get it clear that you, the researcher, are driving the researcher--not the computer or the index or the books and magazine articles you're finding.  Research requires clear, and ongoing, assessments of where you are in the process and what you want to write about.  Sometimes your goals may change in midstream--you may grow excited by a certain part of a larger problem.  It is almost always preferable to write about something that truly interests you, so choose a topic that looks promising.

What to do if You are Finding Too Much or Too Little Information

Most students will be faced with the problem of finding too much information.  It does little good--for a six-page paper--to write on "capital punishment."  This is a huge topic, involving ethics, religion, the law and criminal justice.  One good way to approach this is to take the time to read an encyclopedia article on this issue, even though you may not use it as a source.  In the course of reading the encyclopedia entry, there may be some narrower focus that suggests itself as interesting to you.  This might be "capital punishment in the Middle Ages," or "capital punishment in Texas" or "the Catholic Church's views on capital punishment under Pope John Paul."  These are still large topics, but they are better than trying to squeeze a book-length topic into six pages.

If you're not finding enough information, do two things: talk to a reference librarian at the Information Desk for advice.  Also, think of words that include the topic you're researching.  Let's say you want to find information about an early Spanish writer, but you've checked under his name in the online book computer and it gave you no hits.  This is actually a common problem.  But since you know that he lived in the eighteenth century, try searching the book computer for "eighteenth century Spanish literature." This search, entered as a "word or phrase" search may very well turn up some general books which contain references to your author.  You could also just search under "Spanish literature" and pull up many works--some of which will likely include your author.  In short, notice how you are driving the research, and also how it is important to think up alternative words or concepts to describe what you're looking for as research unfolds.

Look for Books

Following research in the online book catalog (searchable by author, title, subject or keyword), retrieve some likely titles from the stacks, which are arranged in call number order.  These books represent basic, established, historically-authoritative materials--the kind of foundation most papers require.

Look for Periodicals

Next, click on our online periodical databases and use similar search strategies to find current articles.  In many if not most of these sources you have the option of "crossing" terms using "and" (like "cloning AND ethics"_ as well as limiting by field--such as specifying that certain words be in the title, abstract, author or source field.  Now one can really shape the search as one wishes, especially since many of these databases have millions of records.  Obtaining current sources like periodical articles and adding these to the books you've already obtained will provide the bulk of most college research papers.

The Nature of the Internet as a Research Tool

Internet searching should not be your first stop in the research process.  And many teachers prohibit it to begin with.  If you do engage in it, read the section on the Internet under "Principal Library Resources by Type" in the "Tips" section of the library's web page.  In fact, the Internet can be a powerful tool IF you know what you're doing and if you can discriminate good from bad sources.  Given that, Net-based searching is not likely to replace book or periodical searching anytime soon, especially in the domain of authority.

A Word about Citation Form

Most research papers require a list of documented sources at the end of the paper known as a "Works Cited" page.  Although there are several styles of documentation--such as the Chicago Manual of Style, orTurabian's, the two most common forms are called MLA [for the Modern Language Association] and APA [for the American Psychological Association].  These two styles cover the large fields of literature, the humanities and the social and behavioral sciences.

Your instructor will indicate which of these--or another--to use in your paper.