Introduction to Research Skills

Developing and Testing a Research Topic

Video Credit: North Carolina State University Libraries | CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US

The thought of academic research can be intimidating, but the process can be simplified by breaking down your research into a series of steps. The various links on this page will direct you back to the Library's "Introduction to Research Skills" guide. This guide walks you through the basics of academic research, providing tips and suggestions for each stage of the research process. In total, the guide consists of a homepage and 6 main sections, each of which is listed in the Guide Contents below. Please note that 3 sections have subpages that provide additional context and resources.

Guide Contents

Home
Develop a Research Question This page introduces strategies for how to develop a topic into a research question.
Choose the Right Search Tool This page introduces the importance of choosing the right search tool.
Form a Search Strategy This section of the guide explains how to use your research question to develop keywords for your search. The "Search Tips" subpage explains the different search features that you can use to search a database.
Evaluate Your Sources The Evaluate Your Source page introduces the important step of source evaluation. There are three subpages: "Evaluating Library Resources," Evaluating Outside Resources," and "Recognizing Different Kinds of Sources."
Cite Your Sources This section introduces the importance of citing your sources and provides tips on how to avoid plagiarism. It contains three subpages: "Basics of APA Style," "Basic of MLA Style," and "Basic of Chicago Style."
Need More Help? This page provides a list of additional resources that are available to CMU students.

ED595 - Introduction to Research: Introduction to Research Skills

Developing and Testing a Research Topic