Not sure where to start on your research assignment? The library has a variety of online and in-person services to support your research:
- Library Help: Ask for help with borrowing, troubleshooting your research, and more
- Visit the Library Services Desk for in-person research help
- Get one-on-one writing and citing help, or browse writing and citation guides from the Writing Centre
- Email your questions or book a one-on-one appointment with your Subject Librarian.
Research Process
The topics listed below are important parts of the research process. Expand each topic to find helpful resources to support your work!
Getting Started on Your Research Topic
Understanding your assignment and having a clear topic or question in mind can guide your research process and get you to the resources you need.
- Guide: Understand Your Assignment (University of Waterloo)
- Guide: Choosing a Research Topic (U of A Augustana Library)
- Guide: Using Wikipedia for Research (University of Galway)
Find Resources
Finding resources for your assignment topic requires thinking about useful search terms and effective strategies for searching.
- Video: Developing Keywords for your Research Question or Topic
- Video: Using Keywords
- Video: How to use the Library Catalogue
- Guide: Formulating your search strategy using Boolean Operators (USask Library)
Learn more:
- Locate specific types of resources.
- Visit the Subject Guide for your course or program.
- Get help from the Library!
Evaluate and Read
How to know if the sources you find are credible and suitable for your assignment?
- Guide: Fact Checking & Source Evaluation
- Infographic: Evaluating Sources
- Video: Checking Journals for Peer-Review
Organize, Write, and Cite
Now that you’ve got your resources, you’re ready to craft an answer to your research question. To do this, you will need to plan out the structure of your research paper, write a draft of the paper, and cite your resources clearly and correctly. The Writing Centre offers writing tutor support as well as a variety of resources for help with writing, citation, and studying.
