Education Research Step-by-Step

Before selecting a topic or starting your research, make sure you understand your assignment. Consider:

• Have you been assigned a topic or can you pick your own?
• How many pages/words do you need to write? How long is your presentation?
• Do you need to include specific types of sources (e.g. scholarly journal, book, etc.)?
• When is the assignment due? How much time do you have to research?
• Is currency of information important?

When in doubt, consult with your instructor.

Getting ideas for your topic.

• Course material: Go back over lecture notes or textbook chapters to find a topic.
• Brainstorming: Take the general topic and create a concept map for it.  From there you may find some aspect of the topic you would like to explore.
• News: Yahoo News, CNN.com, local broadcast news all cover recent events and may pique your interest for further exploration of the story.
• Internet: There are many reliable educational and current event resources available on the Web that are excellent sources of ideas for selecting research topics. Keep in mind that because of the open nature of the Web, many resources vary in quality.

This Tutorial is a self-paced instructional resource designed to assist Spring Hill College students master information literacy skills. Includes  "from thesis to search strategy"