Skip to Main Content
library homepage and building

Research 101: Beginning Research

A guide to understanding the research process and how to effectively strategize and plan a research project.

Getting Started with Research

Throughout much of higher education, students may be asked to conduct research for a presentation, paper, or a speech. This research can cover nearly every subject from English to history and even chemistry and math. This guide is designed to assist our students with understanding the research process and how they can prepare themselves for any research based assignment they receive throughout there college careers. 

To begin, we need to first define the Research Process. The image below, provides a basic 8 step layout for the research process: defining the topic, narrowing the topic, gathering background information, developing a research questions, creating a working thesis, searching for information, citing sources, and writing the paper: The research process infographic with 8 basic steps: define, narrow, gather, create, develop, find, write.

Before beginning any kind of research, you should start start with reviewing your assignment instructions. This will provide you with the necessary framework that will be the basis of how you will need to approach the actual research. The assignment instructions will let you know how you need to structure the assignment, what the format will be, what citation style you should use, how many resources you need to support your research and much more.

Often (but not always) research assignments consist of writing research papers, where you are given a specific topic and are then required to locate several resources to explain your position, thought, or idea on or about that topic. Try not to get overwhelmed, remember to breathe and take it one step at a time. By taking some time to first understand your assignment instructions, you will help yourself build a kind of foundation or a starting point, from which the rest of the process can begin and flow seamlessly.

Other details to pay attention to in your assignment instructions include looking for the due date as this will give you a time frame of when you can start your research and when you should finish your project. This allows you to create a timeline to conduct certain steps of the process as well as allowing you time to determine when you should start looking for resources, how long you should take searching for those resources, how long you should spend writing the paper or working on the first draft, and even how long you have before the assignment needs to be turned in. Knowing and planning out a schedule for research will help you make sure that your assignment is completed on time, as well as help improve your own time management skills for future projects, both within and outside the academic environment.


When reviewing your assignment instructions, you'll want to pay special attention to the preferred citation style and paper format; this can help determine how the final project will be structured. Once you have an idea of the research assignment "framework", you then begin planning out your time for the Research Process.

Working with Topics

If your assignment gives you the choice of a topic, it is often best to choose one that is interesting to you. This could be something that you personally have experience with or something that you are passionate about. Having a personal connection to the topic in this way, helps prevent "burnout". The more interest or passion you have for a topic, the more likely you are to keep yourself on track for the entirety of the project.

By picking a topic that you find at least some interest in, you will find that it is easier for you to stay focused when you start searching for information and resources. You might find that you are less stressed out about a topic that you actually like versus one that you have no interest in.

With an interesting topic, you will be more engaged and less likely to give up or procrastinate once you start working on the assignment. Often an interesting projects will lead, not only to an easier time of researching, but sometimes it can lead to a better experience and all around better project in the end. You won't feel like it is a kind of chore or feel stressed about the whole thing.

You should feel confident in your skills as a researcher and it all starts with your topic.

And even if your instructor provides a topic for your assignment, you should look for something within that topic that interests you. If you can find that kind of "personal" connection to the topic, everything else will seem easy.

When deciding on a topic, you should also take into consideration what your assignment is asking of you. You might find that your assignment has some specifics about the type of topic you are supposed to research, whether it be a specific field of study, politics, current events, human nature, or any other topic.

Before you start researching, consider asking yourself these questions when you have a topic in mind:

  • "What do you already know about your topic?"
  • "What sort of common knowledge is already out there about the topic?"
  • "Is there something you don’t you know about the topic?"
  • "Is there an information gap in your own knowledge of the topic?"
  • "Is there any specific information that you need to know about the topic for the assignment?"
  • "What kind of background information is there that will help understand the topic better?"
  • "How common is the topic with a lot of information on it?"
  • "Is it a newer topic that may require deeper research?"
  • "Are there different or opposing viewpoints on the topic?"
  • "Is there a specific opinion or point of view that you want to look for?"
  • "Is the topic the center of heated discussion? A "hot button" issue?"

By asking these questions, you can get a better understanding of what you need to look for, before you even dive into the actual research.

Once you have your topic, you may need to take into consideration how broad or narrow the topic is. Take some time to think about how easy or difficult it may be to locate supporting information or research on the topic. If you determine that your topic is broad, you'll need to narrow it to a more focused topic. If it is too narrow, you'll want to broaden it, so that you have plenty of resources to support your research. There are a few ways to help narrow or broaden your topic, one such way is to use "The Journalist Six".

The "Journalist Six" is a series of questions, often used by journalists to uncover information about their topic or subject.

These questions are: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How. Consider "asking" these questions of your topic:

  • Who: who is involved with your topic?, who completed the study of the topic or the event?, who would use the results from your topic?, etc.
  • What: what should happen with your topic?, what has happened with your topic?, what still needs to be done about the topic?, etc.
  • When: when did the topic take place?, when will the topic occur, if it hasn't already?, etc.
  • Where: where did the topic happen?, where is your topic based?, etc.
  • Why: why did the topic happen?, why is the topic a problem?, why does the topic need to change?, etc.
  • How: how could the topic be done?, how can the topic be improved?, how could the topic work?, etc.

By asking these questions of your own topic you can narrow or broaden your topic to something that could be more focused and understandable.


It is crucial to understand that some topics may be so broad that they can cover many different research paths. Meaning, that depending on the topic, you may find several topics under the "umbrella" of one topic.

For example, take the topic of "Education". This is a very broad topic that you could narrow it down to several different paths like these:

  • College students> study habits> today> in China> psychological effects (remember your Who, what, when, where, why, and how)
  • K-12> Education Reform> during President Reagan’s Years> in New York> Historical context
  • Minorities> Desegregation> in the1950’s> in Alabama> Legal issues

A broad topic like Education can go in multiple directions for research and there are a lot of topics that fall under the "umbrella" of Education as a topic. So, if you choose a topic as broad as this one, your instructor may ask you to narrow or refine it. Think about topics that stem from or correlate to your broad topic and go from there. Use the Journalist Six to figure out exactly what you want to focus on for your research. (Remember, choose something that is interesting to you!)

Background Information & Keywords

A good way to start your research process is by turning your topic into a question worth answering. In other words, consider what your topic is and then think about what you want to find out about it. By turning your topic into a question you can begin to think of how you would answer it and what information you need to find in order to answer it. You can use the "Why" formula to fine tune your topic and determine the key concepts you need to search for. This can help you define search terms, as well as create a clear view of what your research is.


The "Why?" template can be used to figure "why" you are interested in your topic or "why" it is important to you. This creates a more focused approach to your research project and allows you to create an "anchor" for yourself, to keep you from becoming side tracked with other information that may not be as relevant to your research. 

To use the template, basically, keep asking yourself "why?" until you have a clear answer of what your topic is and why you find it so important. On a piece of paper, use the provided sentences and complete them by asking "Why?":

  • "WHY?":
    • “I am working on the topic of…” Why? What are you writing about? 
    • “because I want to know who/ what/ when/ where/ why/ if…” Why? What do you want to know about the topic?
    • “in order to help my reader better understand…” Why do you want your reader or yourself to know and/or care about the topic? What is so important about it?
Example 1: 
  1. Topic: I am studying the topic of “climate change” Why?
  2. Indirect Question: because I want to know how “global warming could impact the state of Tennessee” Why?
  3. Significance: in order to “know how to better prepare for regional flooding”
  4. Research question: How can people within the state of Tennessee better prepare for regional flooding as a result of climate change?
Example 2:
  1. Topic: I am researching the topic of “social media” Why?
  2. Indirect Question: because I want to know what “TikTok does with user data” Why?
  3. Significance: in order to “find the best ways to safeguard privacy when online”
  4. Research Question: What are the best ways that people can safeguard their user data on social media sites like TikTok, Facebook, or X(Twitter)?

Once you have your research question and your topic clarified, it's time to think about the different key words, terms, and phrases that could be used to describe your topic. These terms will be used to search for resources using library databases and our catalog of books and eBooks. Most library databases utilize keyword searching over phrase searching like most search engines like Google use.

Databases are very logical in the way they search for and retrieve results. Databases search for the exact words that you type into the search bar, rather than the meaning of the words. Often databases will highlight your search terms within the results list, allowing to see at a glance how relevant the result may be for your needs.

So, think about the different subject matter that surrounds your topic and list out some keywords, synonyms, and related terms that could be used to describe your topic. 

As a reminder, synonyms are words similar to one another and share a similar meaning, such as:

  • Quarantine = confine, isolate, seclude…
  • Pandemic = plague, contagion, illness, malady…

Whereas, Related Terms are words that are associated with your topic without being synonyms, like:

  • Quarantine ~ illness, isolation, health, spread, vaccine, World Health, mental awareness, healthcare workers, pandemic…

This may take some brainstorming, but we promise, it will help you in the long run. You may have some luck by looking at a thesaurus to see what words are related to one another.

Once you have your topic finalized and a list of search terms you can use to locate information, you can gather some background information on your topic in preparation for your final research. This can be considered as very basic information about your topic. Think about it as kind of "foundational knowledge" to build your research upon.

Gathering background information can help you to gain a better understanding of your topic, in case you didn't know much about it from the start. It can also help you uncover other keywords related to your topic, that you might not have thought of already or even particular terminology used by authors and scholars on the topic.

You can gather this  basic information by using resources like encyclopedias and dictionaries or even subject guides, if they are available. The library has access to some reference databases like Credo Reference and Gale Virtual Reference.

You can also do what is sometimes called a "Quick and Dirty" search via your favorite web based search engine. Yes, it has a weird name, but it can be a good starting point.

You may be thinking "But I'm not supposed to use Google as a resource for my assignment?", but hold on, you're not really using it as a source at this point since you are only preparing to conduct research. If you do a "Quick and Dirty" search for your topic in a search engine like Google, all you are doing is getting a sense of the available information, seeing what is already out there, maybe even finding a few new keywords you hadn't even thought of yet.

While it is not recommended to use basic Google searches or even Wikipedia as a sources for assignments, they can provide you with a foundation, a kind of starting point for your actual research. Sometimes you may even find scholarly sites related to your topic that you can browse for further information!

Once you have gathered some background information, you can then transition all of this knowledge into your actual research using library databases, books, and other appropriate and credible resources.

Thesis Statements

Once you have your background information and are almost prepared to begin your search for resources, you should consider creating your thesis statement. A thesis statement is "a short statement, usually one sentence, that summarizes the main point or claim of an essay, research paper, etc., and is developed, supported, and explained in the text by means of examples and evidence." (according to dictionary.com). Now, your assignment may not require a thesis statement, but it can be a useful tool to help keep your train of thought grounded and on topic. Think of a thesis statement like a kind of anchor, everything you discuss and talk about in your paper or project should connect to and refer back to your thesis statement.


This thesis template can help you build a clear thesis statement:

  • “My Topic” is/contributes to “My Position on the Topic” because of “Reason 1”, “Reason 2”, and “Reason 3”.
    • For example: "Social Media leads to a decline in student grades because it takes up time a student could spend studying. It leads to attention deficit disorder and causes depression."

You want to make sure that your thesis is clear and straightforward. It sometimes acts as the introduction to your paper. Your thesis should inform your reader about your topic or your stance on the topic, why you think your topic is important and your thesis should be backed up by at least three reasons or examples for your stance.

If your topic is still too narrow or even too broad, it will lead to your thesis being very vague or weak, resulting in you being unable to find enough evidence to back it up. Consider all of this carefully before proceeding. If you make sure that everything up to this point is clear and concise, you won't have trouble finding sources about your topic.

Once you feel prepared, you can then transition to searching for your sources. When gathering your sources, you will want to keep to more scholarly type sources rather than whatever you may find on Google. Visit the library, browse our databases and online catalog, ask a librarian for assistance if you need it.

Searching our databases and catalog of books and eBooks will ensure that you find the best possible sources to support your research and provide accurate information about your topic. When searching a database or even a search engine, you find it necessary to use a few tricks to find exactly the types of sources you need. One such way is to use what are called "Boolean Operators" to combine and/or exclude certain keywords during your query (your search). There are three operators that can help broaden or narrow the results you get from your searches within databases, they also help your search queries to be clear and straight forward.

The Boolean Operators are:

  • AND- which retrieves information for both keywords entered
  • OR- which retrieves information for either keyword entered
  • NOT- which retrieves information for only one keyword, while excluding the other

By utilizing the Boolean Operators you can often refine the results without needing to use the database filters. You can even change up what the database retrieves based entirely off you Boolean phrase! So, don't be afraid to try different combinations. There is no such thing as failure when it comes to research, just trial and error. If you get a list of results that doesn't quite fit your needs, try a different term or phrase and keep going until you find what you need. And remember, if you need help, ask your library staff!

There are a few strategies that you can use when searching for resources. The use of Boolean Operators effectively allows you to use a strategy known as "Building Blocks". Imagine you have a set of building blocks and each block has a word written on it that represent a keyword or Boolean Operator. Next, imagine you are building a sentence or phrase with those blocks, didn't like it, tore it down and tried again. By thinking of each block as a keyword or Boolean Operator you are experimenting with the order of keywords to get the results you want. In a sense you are building a search query, searching, tearing it down, recombining keywords and trying again until you get the desired results. This strategy can also be affective at breaking down overly complex topics and allowing you to work with individual parts of that topic, rather than the whole thing all at once. (Which is often too complex to get good results.)

So, if you have a complex topic, break it up into smaller parts or blocks, then focus on each individual concept when searching and then piece it all back together in the end when finalizing your project.

Keep going until you run out of combinations or find the results and sources you want to use.


If your keywords aren't working, try to brainstorm again and see if you can come up with new terms. You may have to back track a bit and reconsider the terms you thought of earlier. Just remember, research takes time, it's not something that can be completed in a single hour, let alone one day. You will most likely spend a few days searching for sources, but don't let that stress you out. If you have everything planned out and you take your time, you will just fine. 

Also, it's okay to fail, as you will always learn something new from failed searches. If you get a failed search, learn from it, think of something different and keep trying. You may learn something new along the way or find something about the topic that you didn't know about before. So failure is an option!

Just take your time and if you need to step away for a little while, do so. Sometimes if you come back to a problem with fresh eyes, you may think of something even better than you had thought of previously.


These portions of the research process can take the most time, but they will make the rest of your research much easier. Consider that if you follow these early steps, you will have your keywords and terms to search with, you will have a basic understanding of your topic and thus know what to look for in your sources, and you will already have your research question and/ or thesis written!

Taking time to go through these steps will save you a lot of time and a lot of stress. And if you need any help getting started, feel free to contact your librarians (library@tusculum.edu, (423) 636-7320 or via live chat), we will gladly help you. We love doing research, so let us help you succeed!

Assistant Library Director/ Reference & Instruction Librarian

Profile Photo
Lelia Dykes
Contact:
P.O. Box 5005
60 Shiloh Rd.
Greeneville, TN 37745
423-636-7320 ext. 5148