Method of Research--Research Process

How did you answer the above question? Do you spend most of your efforts actually researching a topic, or do you spend a lot of time and energy finding a topic? Ideally, you’ll want to spend fairly equal amounts of effort on both. Finding an appropriate and manageable topic can sometimes be just as hard as researching a topic.

Keep in mind that a good research topic will have a lot of related research. Also, keep your research topic interesting (to you), relevant, feasible, and worth your time. If you don’t love the topic you are researching, the more of a chore it becomes to you. In other words, do a topic that you want to know more about and enjoy researching.

Before you get started,  remember that your topic needs to be found in a book or a scholarly journal. If you find that the majority of your sources are trade sources (magazines, websites), you may want to back up a bit. Although trade sources are not bad in general to use in your research--as they can lead to new and exciting stuff,—the topic you are pursuing might be too new and does not have any scholarship to support it. If this is the case, you may want to reconsider or tweak your topic.

Brainstorm: Begin thinking about the type of research you would like to do by asking yourself the questions below. Record topic ideas in a log or journal, making sure not to evaluate any ideas during the process. Remember, even seemingly silly ideas can lead you to relevant new topic areas and research questions. This process can be an invaluable way to recall ideas that you may forget as you progress through your program. 

• What are your major interests within your discipline?
• What personal experiences have you had that were particularly significant or meaningful to you, as it relates to your discipline?
• What coursework did you take that you found most exciting?
• What theories and concepts are most interesting to you?
• Are there some ideas you have studied which you are curious about and would like to explore more?
• What are your career goals upon completion of your degree?
• What are the major issues or problems faced in your industry today?
• Have you read any interesting articles or books related to your discipline?

The next step is to start identifying keywords related to your potential topic ideas. Try to break down your topic or research question into 2-4 overall main ideas; these main ideas become simple keywords which “point the way” to research in that area. Similar to the Topic Ideas Journal, keep a keyword list when you are researching a topic.

Create a Research Question: Come up with a tentative question you want to answer in your project.

Creating a research question will take your refined topic and turn it into a question your assignment will attempt to answer. Try to say away from close-ended questions, such as yes or no questions.  Examples of research questions include:

• What model of art therapy has better results with children with Autism?
• What are the key factors that affect veterans and suicide rates?

This will help keep you focused as you begin searching for information

Develop a Search Strategy: Select your resources and develop your keywords

The search terms or keywords you use to search are what determine the results you get.  Here's a good exercise to help you generate keywords:

1. Express your topic in a topic sentence: "What model of child psychotherapy has better results with children with Autism?"
2. Generate keyword search terms by identifying the main ideas or concepts within that topic sentence: "What model of child psychotherapy has better results with children with Autism?"; = art therapy, model, children, autism
3. Expand your search terms by brainstorming related terms or synonyms that describe your main ideas:

•  Child psychotherapy; art therapy
• Autism; Autism spectrum disorder,
• Children; toddlers, youngsters, boys, girls