Tips For Doing Online Research

Tips for Doing Research Online 

WHAT? First and foremost, you need to state, however vaguely at this early stage, what your research problem is. See if you can rephrase your research topic in terms of a question. Doing so has certain psychological benefits: questions help you to define and direct your area of inquiry; and because they need answers, they propel you into motion and toward a goal.

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HOW? Recognize that the success of your research will depend upon how well and flexibly you can use language. Library catalogs, indexes and abstracts, electronic databases, web search engines—the typical information finding tools—are all built out of words. So start with what’s easy. Break your research question down into its component parts: the one, two, three or more basic words, phrases, or concepts that identify the information you might be after. What vocabulary would YOU use to describe the key issues you want to research? How many other words could you use to describe these issues? Who else talks about these issues: professionals, laypersons, scholars, etc.? How might they do so? Would they use a different vocabulary? Are there certain combinations of words that better or more powerfully describe the information you are after?

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Understand the difference between keywords and controlled vocabulary (variously know as subject headings, descriptors, identifiers, or thesaurus terms).

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Understand the ways to locate controlled vocabulary terms so that you can exploit their power [Reference librarians can point you in the right directions].

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Recognize that you may have to try a search several different ways before you strike gold. If one word or phrase doesn’t do the trick, others might, so be sure you have alternatives at the ready.

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Remember that one size does not fit all. Finding tools may or may not use the same controlled vocabulary; nor will they respond equally well even to the same keywords. You may discover, for instance, that broader terms work better in one database and more specific terms in another. As you move among online resources, be aware that they may behave idiosyncratically, and adjust your strategy accordingly.

WHERE? Even for students who are adept with language or who are confident in the knowledge of what they want to do, database selection can be tricky. Make sure that you: 

Know that you have options. From the Library home page, you will find multiple paths to information. Many print resources exist as well; ask a Reference librarian to help you locate them. Once you’ve decided on a topic and have thought of some ways to talk about it, ask yourself where you are MOST LIKELY to find relevant discussions of such a topic. If you’ve already posed the question, “Who talks about my topic?” you can now go one step further: “Where can I find out what they say about my topic?”

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Never take a database at face value. Even databases that may seem to cover the same terrain (e.g., Biology or Medicine) can cater to different audiences (specialist, non-specialist, etc.) and different emphases. You should routinely access the HELP files of a database, especially one that is new to you, to confirm its suitability for a particular research project.

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Understand that every database is SELECTIVE. Databases are produced by agencies, groups, or companies that have certain agendas and thus make choices about what information to include (popular magazines, scholarly journals, or a mix of both, e.g.), and at what depth (citation only, citation and abstract, full-text). Moreover, there are always issues of comprehensiveness (how far

back does this database go?) and currency (how often is this material updated?) for you to consider. Some databases can be highly technical specialized, and esoteric; others can be extremely general. In the Harvard College Libraries, we provide you with both. The requirements of your project, coupled with your level of expertise will determine whether one type or the other—or a combination—is most appropriate. 

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Refuse to take “no” for an answer from any database—at least at first. When you fail to find information on a topic, you should consider a whole range of factors that might be at work. You might need to change databases, but sometimes, you simply need to change your tactics: adjust your search language or search syntax. And sometimes, too, you may just need to enlist the help of a professor, a fellow student, or a reference librarian to get an online resource to work effectively for you.

WHEN? Many students begin their research projects in fear of not finding “sufficient” information on their topics. Once they get into their projects, however, they usually discover that there is an overabundance of information. At some point, you will need to stop reading and retrieving and start sorting through and synthesizing the information you have found. 

Recognize that there will always be something you will not have read. Your job is to be reasonably thorough, not utter exhaustive (unless a professor tells you otherwise).

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Remember that there is a law of diminishing returns. One can, in fact, arrive at a point when researching further becomes fruitless (and even counterproductive), when no new insights are being gleaned from sources you uncover, when ideas seem to start repeating themselves. Know when to stop.

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Keep in mind that research is a PROCESS, not a discrete stage in the writing process. As your topic takes shape, you may find new questions arising, questions that require you to do additional research. Moreover, it is possible that you will begin writing before you’ve filled in all your information gaps; research can happen on the “go.”

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Know when “a little” is too little—and when it might be just enough. There are topics that are not as well represented as others in research, but that possibility should not ever discourage you from undertaking a particular study. Students frequently operate under the misconception that they are better off when they can find “a lot” of “stuff,” even if the topic means little or nothing to them. You are best to stick with a project that can sustain your interest and enthusiasm, even if an exhaustive research effort yields only a few outside references. In many instances, quality is more important than actual quantity of sources. Indeed, one’s most creative work is sometimes born in poverty, rather than in plenty.

WHY? Throughout the research and writing processes, you should remain conscious of your own selection processes: why you choose one resource over another, on what grounds you determine an argument’s credibility, etc. You should keep track just as carefully of information you decide to discard or exclude from the final paper or research project. Those decisions, too, can indicate important things about how your thinking on an issue has developed or matured. Often, you will find that viewpoints on an issue are not black and white; some, in fact, are hotly disputed and may have produced completely contradictory assessments by scholars who are equally authoritative and respected. Your job is not to ignore contradictions but rather, to find a way to explain them—and at the very least, to acknowledge that these contradictory treatments exist. Research is finer (more solid and much stronger) when you approach your topic fairly and honestly.

Susan Gilroy, Research Services, Lamont Library 08.12.09 Copyright © 2009 President and Fellows of Harvard College