Start Broad

Being with a basic google search! While information found this way will not be 100% reliable, it can be useful to orient yourself within a topic, and get an idea of broad topics, concepts, key figures and key data. What you learn in this initial search can help you write more specific research questions.

Consider Quality

You want to get the very best information possible, so consider if you can trust the source and its content before using it in your work:

  • Does this source agree or contradict with other sources that I have found?
  • Is the author an expert in the field?
  • Does the author’s point of view have a conflict of interest in this topic? How long ago was this source written?
  • Is the content opinion or fact?
  • Are facts corroborated? 

Verify!

The best way to ensure that the information you are using is accurate is verifying it across several sources. This is especially important when you are looking for facts, but it can be helpful to understand how popular an opinion was/is by looking for it from several authors!

Be open to surprises

Good research is not about confirming what you already think you know but developing the most holistic understanding of a topic possible. Read a range of sources from both sides of debates, reading finding ins and analysis carefully, and don’t discredit sources from the get-go it they offer a different opinion to yours!

Use your resources 

Many schools have access to high quality online databases that can be helpful with your research – make sure to have a look and see what is available to you. There are plenty of incredible academic work online for free. Google scholar is a great place to start!

Stay organised 

The interest has more information on your topic of interest than you could ever use or need. It is important to keep track of the information you collect to avoid falling into research rabbit holes, and also to ensure you can keep track of citation information – the last think you need is having to scroll through your search history to try and find the author of a document you read months ago.

Happy researching!