Planning Your Research Approach

Performing graduate level research is a time consuming task. While technology has improved the speed and convenience of our access to information, in some ways conducting scholarly research is even more challenging than before. As a researcher today you are faced with information in a wide range of formats, each with its own strengths and weaknesses, each with a variety of modes of access. It is your task as a researcher to identify where desired information might sit and discover how best to locate, access, and use it. In this section we consider how to plan an effective research approach.

Getting Started

A productive search strategy always begins with a clear articulation of the question you want answered. Sometimes sorting out this question takes some time to examine and weigh different possibilities before you settle on a particular focus for your research. Learning how to broaden or narrow a research question can be a discovery process with unexpected twists and turns, and it may turn out that what you initially thought you would investigate, and what you actually end up researching are two different things. Be prepared to adjust your question a few times before it is finalized. The quantity and type of information you require may strongly influence your answers to the following questions:

• What length is my paper supposed to be?

(How much research do I need?)

• Am I using the correct terminology?

(Are there synonyms or alternative spellings? Do the databases I'm using recognize these terms?)

• Do I require background information to narrow or broaden my topic?

(Encyclopedia articles or dictionaries?)

• What format would work best for me and my research needs?

(Books? Journal articles? Professional literature? Websites?)

• Where are the best places to look?

(What are the best journal indexes, library collections, websites, organizations, etc. for my topic?)

• Do I need a literature review?
• Does the professor want my paper in APA format?
• Do I want/have time to get books and articles from other libraries?
• Do I need to ask for help?

A good search strategy is essential to setting your research process on a solid footing right from the start. Your completed research project must show evidence that you have adequately considered the literature relevant to your research question. The following outlines one way to think about your search strategy. The strategy you choose to employ may be different.

(Image courtesy of Judy Vogt)

Practice Exercise

Using a topic of your choice, write down what you need to do to ensure that you are approaching the research problem with sufficient depth and breadth. Adjust your search strategy to correspond to the finished product expected. Are you looking for a bit of information on a particular subject? Have you been asked to complete a short essay (1-2 pages)? Is this an extensive literature review? Are you doing research for a term paper (5-15 pages)? Are you embarking on a thesis or dissertation? The length of your paper and the nature of your research question will influence how much information you require.

Discussion Questions

1. Why is a search strategy necessary?
2. Are there any other questions you should be asking yourself about your information needs?
3. Is acquiring "background" information related to your research topic as important as searching for information specifically addressing your topic?

Additional Sources of Guidance

• Defining research scope
• Developing a library research strategy
• Seven steps of the research process

• Introduction
• Desktop Workspace
• Building a Search Strategy
• Defining & Refining Terms
• Basic Searching
• Counselling Literature
• Using Library Catalogues
• Locating Journal Articles
• Interlibrary Loans
• Finding Internet Resources
• Evaluating
• Citing Sources