I have some magic words to share with you about my fave topic, doing research.

When you start research, get CLUES from your assignment, but don’t assume that there are magic bullet articles that will answer the questions in your assignment and all you have to do is find them hidden somewhere like a needle in a haystack. That’s high school stuff: we’re so past that!

You answer the questions, based on your own research. Research does not consist of trick questions, or of a hunt for one right answer sitting out in space. You create the answer supported by evidence. In some cases, you can even start your research with your own informed opinion: provided you support it with credible sources.

Get with the POWer of synonyms (words that mean the same thing). The assignment wording is not the only way to describe the concepts, so come up with at least three different synonyms for the important concepts, and rewrite the assignment in your own words to “find the topic.” If you are researching the relationship between drugs and crime, you could search the web or an online library resource with terms like:

• Drug abuse and crime
• Drug use and criminals
• Drugs and crime and relationship

Keep the search simple (KISS): A single word or short phrase that describes a topic combined with another word or phrase that describes another topic will be enough. The more words you type in at one time, the fewer things are found, like if you were to walk into a room full of people and say:

“I want a nice guy, over 6 feet tall, with brown hair, green eyes, and a boat.”

All the mean people sit down first, then all the women, then all the red heads, etc., until you have whatever fits your “search terms.” Go broader in your research!

Most research articles report on the effect of something on something else, so the most successful search is two words or phrases connected with AND. That’s why the above example searches don’t sound like a real person talking:

“We are supposed to find articles about the relationship of drug use and crime stats”

Asking a question is a great way to get information out of a person; it’s not very effective getting information out of a website or online library resource!

I’m a person (I wouldn’t go so far to say that I am normal…) so be in touch and visit my blog often.