Research FAQs
What does it mean to do college-level research? College-level academic work will likely involve a broader process than most high school research projects. Expectations are that critical thinking skills will be applied to the process and final product.
What does the research process include?
Your research will take a number of paths depending on the project and the subject area, but generally the following steps should be a part of the process:
- Define your research question or hypothesis
- Explore possible sources to get a better sense of the topic
- Refine your research question
- Identify how you will do your research. Will you use primary, secondary, or tertiary sources? Is original research appropriate, i.e., surveys or experiments?
- Collect information from a variety of sources using the methods you identified above.
- Keep track of your sources
- Evaluate your sources for quality and relevance to the topic
- Adjust your research question as needed
- Synthesize the information and apply it appropriate based on the assignment
- Be aware of plagiarism and copyright
- Cite your sources in the appropriate citation style
If at any point in this process you have questions, feel free to Ask a Librarian
How do I find out books, articles, media, etc. the library has on a topic?
Places to start:
- Brown University Library Catalog — Josiah
- Brown University Library Special Collections
- Library Guides for Individual Courses
- Library Guides for Topics
- Videos
Who do I go to for help with my research topic?
Subject librarians meet one-on-one with you to help you find information on your topic -- and narrow down topics and searches. They provide research support for all disciplines and area studies.
Is there someone who can proofread my paper or help me with my writing?
The Writing Center is a satellite office of the Dean of the College. The Center is staffed by graduate students from a variety of academic disciplines. Staff members are experienced writers and teachers who participate in ongoing training in composition and Writing Center theory and practice. In addition to holding one-on-one conferences, Writing Center Associates offer various workshops on writing for interested groups. MORE
What is plagiarism and how do I avoid it?
The Academic Code of Conduct is the norms regarding the quality and originality of academic work are often much more stringent and demanding in college than they are in high school. All Brown students are responsible for understanding and following Brown's academic code. MORE
What can I use to keep track of my research and to create a bibliography?
Keep track of what you read. Skim first to get an overview and if it's relevant to your work, record citation information for it. Be proactive -- disorganization may lead to accidental plagiarism. Use bookmarking (delicious) or a citation tool (Zotero, RefWorks) to keep track of URLs, sources, and access dates.
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How do I cite something or someone in my research?
Citation style guide use varies by discipline. Check with your professor about the citation style you should use for any course assignments. Broadly speaking, APA is used mostly for social sciences. MLA is used usually for English. Chicago is also used for History. The sciences are a little more diverse. Most scientific journal has its own style, such as CBE for Biology, IEEE for Engineering, and American Chemical Society for Chemistry.
- The Chicago Manual Of Style, 15th Edition [Josiah Record]
- MLA handbook for writers of research papers, 6th Edition [Josiah Record]
- Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition [Josiah Record]
- The ACS style guide: effective communication of scientific information, 3rd Edition [Josiah Record]