Smart Research Strategies > 1: Develop a Research Plan

More information does not equal better information.

Sherry Turkle, Life on the Screen

1A: Why Plan?

We can easily get lost in the information maze. A University of California, Berkeley study from 2003 estimates that the world produced about 5 exabytes of new information in all formats (print, digital, broadcast) in 2002 alone, and that new stored information grew about 30% a year between 1999 and 2002.

With so much information available on the Web, through libraries and bookstores, making sense out of all your research options is like solving a complicated puzzle. Just as it helps to have a strategy (or plan) when you solve a puzzle, approaching research with a strategy can save time and help you to be more effective.

1B: TTF - Three Steps to Success

This tutorial describes a three-step research strategy. You can remember it easily by thinking of the letters TTF: T: Determine the types of information needed. T: Consider how timeframes may be relevant. F: Use finding aids to assist you in locating sources.

1C: Determine the Types of Information Needed

Begin by thinking about the types of information needed for your research project. This will vary, depending upon your research goal and your prior knowledge of the research topic.

For example, if you are looking for evidence to support an argument, you will want to find data sources. If you are writing a research paper on an unfamiliar topic, you may need some background first to help you understand important concepts and people connected to your topic, before you go on to identify sources of in-depth information.

The following pages of the tutorial discuss and provide examples of Web (free) and library (or fee-based) sources in five broad categories of information. As you develop your research plan, consider each of these five categories and decide which are needed for your project:

• Background information
• In-depth information
• Facts and data
• News, opinion
• Multimedia

Click on the "Guide" link near the top of the page for a one page list of the sources profiled in this tutorial. You can bookmark this page for future quick reference.

1D: Consider the Time Factor

The second step of your research strategy involves deciding on a timeframe.

• How current should information be? Are older resources useful or perhaps even essential to your research?
• Do you want to understand how viewpoints on a topic may have changed over time?
• Do you want to look for primary sources (information sources created at the time of an event)?

Keep in mind that when looking for older information, you will probably need to use your library to locate it. Although Google, the Open Content Alliance, and many libraries are digitizing older books, much important scholarly research is still available only in print.

1E: Use Finding Aids

Finding aids are compilations that identify useful works on a broad subject. A finding aid is like a roadmap that will lead you to specific information sources (books, articles, Web sites) on your research topic. Some examples of finding aids are listed below. The following pages of this tutorial provide more examples.

• Research guide or bibliography - Someone else has gathered a group of useful sources for you. These aids describe reference works (such as encylopedias, handbooks, periodical indexes, databases) and important books on your research topic.

  Example: The Gateway to Information

• Periodical index - Use indexes to identify magazine and journal articles on your research topic. You can search an index by subject heading, author or keyword. To determine what time periods are covered by an index, look for coverage dates on the opening screen, or read the Help pages.

  Example: ERIC

• Web "portal" or directory - Portals link to other Web sites related to the topic. Usually the sites are organized into various categories, for easier browsing.

  Example: Voice of the Shuttle

1F: A Note on Fee-based Sources

There are a growing number of Web sites that let you search to locate useful information, but charge a fee for viewing documents. Before buying information, connect to your library's Web site and take a look at what it has to offer online. Many public and academic libraries provide online full-text databases for your use. They may offer access to the same or better information.

For example, a search in eLibrary (a Web database) found the document shown in the illustration on the right. You must pay a monthly membership fee to view the full-text.

However, a search in EBSCO Academic Search, a database available through many libraries, found the same article, shown in the illustration on the left. The full text of this article can be read here at no extra cost to you, since your library has already paid for access.

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