Skip to Main Content

*The Research Process: A Guide for GWC Students

Use library resources to locate and evaluate information for your class assignments.

Research Process Overview

Breaking Down The Research ProcessResearch process cycle: define topic, devise strategy, search sources - evaluate at every step in cycle

The steps below give an effective strategy for finding information for your research and documenting the sources you find. Depending on your topic and your familiarity with the library, you may need to rearrange or recycle these steps. Adapt this outline to your needs.

Librarians are ready to help you at every step in your research.

Step 1. Develop a topic
Select a Topic | Develop Research Questions | Identify Keywords | Find Background Information | Refine a Topic

Step 2. Locate information
Books & E-Books | Videos & Images | Articles | Websites | Grey Literature | Search Strategies

Step 3. Evaluate
Evaluate Sources | Primary vs Secondary | Types of Periodicals | Websites

Step 4: Write
Take Notes | Outline the Paper | Incorporate Source Material

Step 5: Cite
Plagiarism | MLA Format | APA Format | Annotated Bibliographies

Recommended E-Book

Recommended Book

Attribution

This research guide is based on a guide created by Lori Micho, at the Denver Campus, Johnson & Wales University: Research Process: A Step-By-Step Guide and adapted by Lori Cassidy, Orange Coast College Library: The Research Process: A Guide for OCC Students.  

Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License unless noted otherwise .