SPARK: Student Papers and Academic Research Kit: Research Strategies

This module will guide you through creating a library search strategy to help you locate resources for your research. Whether you are just starting to think about a research topic or you already have a working topic, it will be helpful to develop a strategy to organize your library search.

As a first step in creating a search strategy, identify the main concepts related to your topic or research question. Topics and research questions generally involve relationships among two or more concepts. Your primary purpose at this stage is to make a list of concrete terms that, taken together, capture the essence of your question or topic.

For example, if your topic is “the effects of bullying on academic achievement in girls,” concepts may include bullying, academic achievement and girls.

The term “effects” is too general to be helpful at this stage. Instead, you might think about what some possible “effects” of bullying on academic achievement are, such as low grades, failure, or poor attendance and use these as potential concepts. In most cases, avoid general terms such as “effects,” “challenges,” “consequences,” “advantages,” “disadvantages,” “pros,” and “cons”.

Another useful Tool is the Proquest Research Companion