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Research is a life skill. You use it every day - which smartphone should you buy? What college should you choose?
You apply the same skills in your coursework for papers, presentations, discussion posts, and more. It is crucial to know how to navigate through the research process because details for each step of the research process will vary depending on the topic, available research, and assignment or research goal. The main idea behind each step, however, will always remain the same.
Are there assigned topics? Can you choose your own? What are you interested in or passionate about? How many sources are needed?
Think of narrow, broad, related, and similar (synonyms) words that represent the main ideas of your topic or question.
Input your keywords in different combinations in the library databases. AND combines different ideas, and OR combines keywords for the same idea.
Once you've found sources on your topic, review the sources to make sure they are objective, accurate, and meet the assignment requirements.
Did you find what you needed? If not, think of more keywords or try different databases to find better sources.
Once you're happy with your sources, make sure to pull the citation information from the database. Review the citation formatting for any mistakes.
Now that you have your sources, start writing. Remember, you can always go back and find more sources if you need to!
Remember that the research process takes time and effort. You should not expect to complete all of these steps in only a few hours. By thoughtfully approaching your assignment you will be able to pick a reasonable topic, research the topic, and compose an organized piece of scholarly research.
Content: One central search that contains all of NU's subscribed EBSCO databases.
Purpose: Search for articles from multiple disciplines with this collection of databases from EBSCO.
Content: One centralized search for all of NU's subscribed ProQuest databases.
Purpose: Search multiple disciplines with this collection of databases from ProQuest including ProQuest Dissertations.
Content: Scholarly journals, academic content, periodicals and videos covering a broad range of academic disciplines.
Purpose: A good starting point for research with coverage across many disciplines and fields.
Special Features: Text-to-speech listening feature. Tool to help discover citing articles.
This link opens in a new windowContent: Collection of more than 30 Proquest subject-specific databases covering Business, Health and Medical, Social Sciences, Education, Science and Technology, and Humanities.
Purpose: Students can view a massive amount of peer-reviewed research across multiple disciplines.
Special Features: Includes a Thesaurus feature that assists in using the database’s controlled vocabulary, as well as read-aloud feature. AI research assistant on the full text page with key takeaways.
Content: Combines sophisticated learning and teaching tools, advanced writing and content management technology, and full integration of APA's best-selling Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association® to create an unparalleled web-based suite of integrated services and tools.
Purpose: Designed to help faculty and students develop their writing and professional research skills.
