Library Locations | Ask a Librarian | CCSF HomeIt may feel disorientating to receive a research assignment from an instructor, especially if you have never done academic research before. You may be familiar with the topic of the assignment a bit, but how will you complete the work? It can help to follow a "process." Try the one we outline below. Not comfy? Mix it up to suit your personal research style!
Spend some time trying to understand what your instructor wants. For example, you may be asked to write a research paper on a particular aspect 
of something broader you are discussing in class. It may help to jump into a background resource to get a broad understanding of the topic again. A background resource might be an online encyclopedia of some kind. Encyclopedia articles are usually short and give you a broad overview of or introduction to a topic.
Here are some that are available to you as a CCSF student.
Take notes as you read the background source. Did your brain gravitate to any particular angle on the topic? Is this something you could pursue in your paper? image: Icons created by Freepik
After exploring the broad topic in a background resource (such as Credo), and thinking through your focus/aspect, it's a good idea to write down words to help with the search.
The table below is an example on how to brainstorm related, synonymous, and adjacent terms that might help you find great sources! The words you use access different information from different communities.
Example research topic: teen use of social media
| main words | main topic: social media | focus/angle: teens |
|---|---|---|
| synonyms |
snap chat, instagram, facebook, |
high school students, middle school students, adolescent |
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Try the library's OneSearch to cross search all the excellent high quality content you have access to as a CCSF student! CCSF Library resources are often NOT available for free in a Google Search. In addition, searching the library's materials will not give you 'hallucinations' (fake, totally made up information) like the AI sources sometimes do.
Here is an example using search terms for information on a different topic: can chatbots help you feel less lonely?
(Want to see? The demo search is available.)
Notice that the search can be limited (or 'filtered') to show you only the results that are available to you online on the left side of the results. Pro tip: You can also limit your results to only those in scholarly (academic or peer reviewed ) journals.
By skimming your first page of results, you will get a sense of whether your combination of search words was helpful. If there is not one single helpful result on the page, go back to your word brainstorm and replace an old search word with a new one. Here are some things to consider when looking at the results of a search:
Did you read your first few sources? Really REALLY read them? Good! Your brain is probably swirling with ideas! Good ones, bad ones, annoyed ones, anxious ones.
Pay attention to what your brain is gravitating toward,You will find results that did not come up last time, and your search words will be even more specific to your interest, and this will help you find what you need to write your paper. By giving your brain room to think deeply, you can find even more sources to include in your project, and they will help you write an amazing research paper.
Good luck! We are here in the library and ready to help. Visit us in person or online today!
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