**NOTICE**
The content of this guide will be undergoing substantial changes over the summer. If there is content you use and would like to see it stay where it is, please contact Kate Hess (kate.hess AT kirkwood.edu) so we make sure to keep it.
Research is a complex process that involves wondering, asking questions, formulating ideas, exploring the ideas of other writers and scholars that have come before you, and incorporating those ideas into your own writing. This process is different each time you do it, but it does usually involve some of the same key activities. We hope this guide can provide some guidance to you in those activities. Remember that your instructor and your librarians are also great sources of help in your own process of doing research.
How do I choose a topic?
Selecting a Topic | Develop Research Questions | Identify Keywords | Find Background Information | Refine a Topic
How do I search for information?
Find Books | Find Videos | Find Articles | Find Websites | Search Strategies
How do I find reliable information?
Evaluate Sources | Primary v Secondary Sources | Types of Periodicals
How can I keep my research organized?
Paraphrasing | Notetaking