Library Services and Resources for Undergraduate Students

Think about how information develops. Where does breaking news appear? How does information develop over time, and how is it shared? The chart below illustrates a timeline of information creation and how the scope of that information evolves the further away we get from the event. Think about this when you are looking for information: How current is it? How much analysis is there? What will help you the most in your research?

The Research Cycle

1. Questioning: Where do you want to go?
2. Planning: research and question topic
3. Gathering: Searching & sources
4. Sorting and Synthesizing: What did you find?
5. Evaluating: What do you need?
6. Putting it all together: Writing and editing

Tips for getting through the cycle of research:

1. Be patient! You may not find everything you need on your first try. Remember, it takes time, so plan ahead.
2. Many steps of the research cycle are interconnected.
3. If you aren't happy with your initial results in Step 3, you may have to go back to Step 2 to evaluate your topic.