CCA 1084 - Communication for Health Sciences: Starting your Research

This guide was useful to me.

Start your research project by choosing your topic and refining your search question. Make sure it's not too big of a topic: you'll be overwhelmed with too much information.

Example:
Topic: Cancer  -- too big
Topic: Cancer in children and the common treatments  -- more manageable

Identify the key concepts (keywords) from your topic. Think about synonyms for the keywords  you might use; some articles and books might use the synonym, not the word you first thought of, and you might not find that resource.

Example:
Children = adolescents, youths, kids, child, etc.

Choose Your Sources

Use a wide variety of sources in your research: books, encyclopedias, journal articles, and academic/professional websites. Different types of sources will provide the different types of information you'll need to write a well-researched essay.

Encyclopedias and books will provide background information and overviews
Articles and websites will provide up-to-date and cutting-edge information

Once you've picked your topic and thought about your keywords, use the resources listed on this subject guide to start searching.

Don't forget to search for books in the Library using the Catalogue.

Search using keywords. You'll find books, DVDs and online resources like e-books and streaming video.