Self-Help

Starting a Research Paper

You have your research paper assignment, but where to start?

• What topic should I write about?
• What steps should I take once I have a topic in mind?
• Where should I go to find relevant sources on my chosen topic?
• How can I get help citing my sources properly?

The answers to these questions will vary, depending on the specific assignment and the preferences of your professor, but here are a select few steps to help get started with any research project:

What topic should I write about?

Start by reading the assignment instructions carefully. There will often be clues about the kinds of topics that will fit the assignment. Second, scan your course textbook, readings and notes for any broad topics that interest you. You can always ask your instructor for guidance as well. If you can find a topic that piques your curiosity and fits within the focus of the course, you are halfway to finding a good topic!

What steps should I take once I have a topic in mind?

Once you have a broad topic of interest, to better understand (and write about) any research topic, and to effectively search the literature, you should first determine and define the main concepts involved. Brainstorm about the topic and find a Wikipedia entry on or related to that concept or event (this is called "background reading").

DO NOT use Wikipedia or other encyclopedia entries as a source for your paper. BUT Wikipedia can give you the historical context (how has the thing, theory, or technology evolved over time?, what people, laws and policies are involved?) and possible narrower aspects of the topic to focus on. This will also help you find the correct terminology for searching and understanding the scholarly literature (e.g., peer-reviewed journal articles).

Where should I go to find relevant sources on my chosen topic?

Start with the search box on the library home page (OneSearch). Use the options on the left side of the results page after you search to limit to scholarly/peer-reviewed, by date, and more. Also explore the Subject Guides relevant to your area of study to find discipline-specific search tools and other information sources (these often search just within the literature of a single area of study).

Consult the Search Tutorials for strategies on what to type into any search box. Remember it starts with having a handle on the relevant terminology, which goes back to doing background reading.

Quick Search Tips:

• Type in words or phrases that concisely describe your main concepts, with AND between each concept. Ignore adjectives and special punctuation - focus on the words directly relevant to your topic:
  • opioids and addiction and treatment
  • diversity and staffing and counseling
• Put double quotes around exact phrases of 2+ words (to search a commonly-used exact phrase). This will limit results to those that contain the exact phrase as typed inside those double quotes:
  • "child abuse training"
  • “evidence based practice” and "New York State" and hospitals
  • "client education" and rural and addiction
• Craft multiple searches using alternate search words/phrases to see what works and find the best results:
  • opioids and teenagers and prevention
  • "prescription drugs" and adolescents and prevention
  • "opioid epidemic" and adolescents and "prevention programs"

How can I get help to cite my sources and avoid plagiarism?

Go to the Cite Your Sources help pages and choose the tab at the top that aligns with the citation style you are using. If you can't find what you need, Ask-a-Librarian via our 24/7 live chat service, located in the top right of the library home page.