LibAnswers

Follow these steps:

1. Identify the research topic

• Choose a topic or check assignment instructions if a topic has been assigned
• Sample Topic: “human rights”

2. Find background information to get more familiar with the research topic

• Search for general and current information on the research topic to learn more about it
• Some examples of background information sources are: Wikipedia article, online encyclopedia article, short webpage on the topic, ChatGPT topic summary
• Example: a Wikipedia entry on the Montgomery bus boycott

3. Narrow the focus

• Choose a theme or question from the research topic to focus on
• Some sample themes might be: causes of an event, event’s impact on society, influence of key event participants on society
• Example: How did the Montgomery bus boycott influence society?

4. Search for sources

• Use the search tool that matches the information type you need to find
  • Examples: library catalogue, individual library database, Google
• Search with your research focus/question or keywords
• If you use keywords: take keywords or phrases out of your research focus
• Put quotation marks around phrases
  • Example: How did the Montgomery bus boycott influence society?
  • Keywords: “Montgomery bus boycott” society
• If you’re stuck, use a GenAI tool like ChatGPT to brainstorm keywords about your topic
• After searching, you can apply limiters or filters to make your search more precise
  • Do you need to find recent sources? Do you need to find peer-reviewed articles?

5. Choose the best sources to use as evidence in your assignment

• Evaluate each source you find with the AAA checklist

6. Cite your sources with MLA Style. See the library Help page on MLA for more details.