Research can seem like a hard and daunting task at first. It requires time, patience, and search strategies in order to locate appropriate information. This section and the following pages will help you get started with the research progress, help you locate information in both digital and print forms, and provide you with tips and tricks on research strategies. 

The easiest way to wrap your head around research is to break it down into three steps:​

Think Critically About Your Topic

As you check-in with your teacher about your research paper, you might hear their comment about digging deeper in your research. What does that mean? It means you have to go beyond the basic facts and context of your topic and find out what scholars or experts are saying about your topic in order to give your own interpretation about your topic. Remember your claim (thesis) is an argument you are making in your paper which you support with evidence. 

​You should now be asking yourself the following questions at this stage:

• What are the main issues and themes does someone need to know in order to understand your topic?
• What key questions do scholars or experts have about this topic?
• Why is this topic important? Why is this topic important to you?
• What is the long term significance of this topic? 

What sources do you use to think critically about your topic?

Look for scholarly articles, books, dissertations, interviews with scholars and other experts, and other specialized journals about your topic. Check out the finding scholarly articles and how to read scholarly articles links to find more information.

Adapted from the Chicago History Fair website.