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Once you have determined your research objectives, consider where you can find the information you need.

Your school or community libraries are two great places to start your search. If you have access to people with expertise on your topic, you may also want to set up an interview or two. Although the Internet can be a useful source of information, there are also risks in using online sources. Therefore, it’s always advisable to mix Internet research with research from other sources.

We strongly recommend that you discuss your topic with a research librarian. These librarians are career professionals who are hired to assist students and faculty with their research. They are experts at tracking down hard-to-find information and thus can be amazingly helpful and knowledgeable about the resources available on your topic. More often than not, they will point you in the right direction for finding the most useful and credible sources.

You will also need to consider what types of sources will best meet your research needs. In this section, we discuss the benefits of different library resources, including books, journal articles, newspapers, government documents, and reference works. You may also want to research high-quality Internet sources or conduct interviews if experts on your topic are available.

Use library indexes (often available on the library’s Web site) to develop a list of sources to research. Library indexes are usually organized by keyword—a word or term related to your topic, including a synonym of the word. If you do not find what you are looking for under the keywords you have chosen, be persistent; try using broader, narrower, or related terms until you find useful sources.