Research Tips and Tricks: Advice from SCU’s Writing Partners

​Research is the foundation of any strong academic paper, project, or assignment, yet the process can often feel daunting and overwhelming. In whatever stage of research you find yourself, the key to success lies in utilizing the right strategies and resources. This guide, compiled with insights from HUB writing partners, will break down essential and practical research tips and tricks to help streamline the process (and maybe even make it enjoyable!).


Choosing a Topic/Research Question 
The first step to deciding what and how to research is choosing an effective topic or research question. It is always helpful to start early so that you can have time to explore and switch topics if necessary. 

• Brainstorm all the ideas that come to mind that relate to the assignment criteria. 
• ​Select your research topic and research question by considering areas that have interesting or diverse perspectives throughout the different sources. Try searching in resources such as the library database, Google Scholar, and Jstor to see if any helpful sources exist for your topic.
• Pick something that genuinely interests you. What do you care about or want to learn more about? Keep in mind that you’re probably going to be spending a lot of time researching this topic.
• Craft a research question or topic that is specific to ensure that your scope of research isn’t too broad. On the flip side, make sure that your research topic/question isn’t too narrow and nuanced that it might make source-finding difficult. 

Finding Sources
Now that you’ve found a topic to work with, the next step is to find relevant sources to craft arguments for your topic.

• Familiarize yourself with the assignment criteria! What types of sources will be necessary for your assignment (primary, secondary, peer reviewed, all of them)? Are there specific sources or sites that your professor expects you to use for your research? 
• Use Wikipedia and scroll to the Footnotes to see a list of related topics, terms, and sources if you are unsure about where to start searching.
• Search available databases, especially databases that are relevant to your topic. While you can use databases such as JSTOR, Google Scholar, and the SCU library advanced search to start, you can also use the SCU library A-Z database list to search a specific academic discipline or subject related to your topic.
• Use effective keywords when searching in databases. For instance, boolean phrases such as AND to search for multiple words (ex: marketing AND analytics), OR to find information about either of your terms (ex: marketing OR analytics), NOT to exclude specific keywords (ex: marketing NOT analytics). You can also use truncation to search for all forms of a word (ex: femini* to search for the words “feminine”, “feminist”, and “feminism” all in the same search). 
• Utilize the library interloan request form for sources not readily available in the library database and the library will secure your desired source and email it to you within 1-3 business days.
• Find sources through the sources you’ve already found! You can look at the sources listed on the works cited or references page to find other sources that are related to the same topic.
• Compile a structured list of sources with brief details on each, including how you plan to use them in your work. This will streamline the writing process when you begin.
• It’s better to find a lot of sources generally first and later narrow down and use the best ones (remember you don’t have to use all of them!). 

Evaluating the credibility of sources     
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One way that you can narrow down the sources you find is to examine the source’s credibility. ​
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• Identify the year of publication to make sure it is still relevant to your topic today. If the source was not written recently, it may be important to consider how much of its information is outdated or disproven. 
• Prioritize using peer-reviewed sources. It can be helpful to check if the source is peer-reviewed through the filters on certain databases (such as the library database) or check off other boxes that hint at its credibility such as if it is an academic journal and or published in a reputable journal or media outlet. 
• Search the author’s background. What are their credentials (and do they match the topic you are writing about)? What are other topics and sources they’ve written? Do they have a conflict of interest or potential bias against or for the topic?  
• Look at the evidence that is presented in the sources. A lack of support for the arguments presented in the source may be a red flag that it is not credible.

Reading Sources 
While this step seems the most tedious, it is important to skim and read your sources to determine if it would be helpful to use and what specifically you can take away from it. 

• Read the abstract and then skim the resource, especially the introduction and conclusion to see if it would be helpful for your arguments and topic. Sometimes a source’s title can be misleading on the actual content.
• While reading, annotate your text so that you can be engaged and come back to anything important that you find when you begin the writing process. For instance, make note of any subheadings and chapter titles that seem like they may be relevant to your argument.
• Use Command + F to look for keywords related to your topic so you can find the information in the source that is most helpful and relevant for you.
• Don’t be afraid to read sources critically! They might have aspects that you can critique through a counterargument. 

Using sources as you compose your text
When implementing sources into your writing, remember to:

• Keep a bibliography going as you go so that you don’t lose the sources you use and can readily go back and read through the resources you cite! 
• Think about which parts of the source apply to your research as not every part of a source is going to be relevant to your conversation. Consider using the most important and impactful lines to directly quote from the source and paraphrase instead of utilizing large block quotes (remember to add an in-text citation to all information that you paraphrase as well). 
• Always include analysis after a piece of evidence and let the source support an argument that you make (don’t let the source speak for itself). Explain why the evidence is important to your line of reasoning and how it ties back to the central theme and thesis of your topic.
• Cite correctly in the text. All sources should be cited in-text and added in the citation page at the end. If you have difficulty remembering the correct citation format, you can always find a citation guide online that lists the specific formatting requirements for whatever style citation you happen to use, such as MLA, APA and CMS.

Finally, always check the prompt and rubric for the assignment to make sure that you meet all of the requirements outlined by your instructor. Also, keep in mind that the research process may take longer than you plan for so it’s always best to start early! And lastly, if you ever find yourself feeling stuck or in need of guidance throughout any part of the research process, feel free to stop by the HUB and talk to one of our writing partners!

Happy researching and best of luck!

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About the Compiler
Claire Hong has been a writing partner at the HUB since Spring 2025. She is an English major with minors in Urban Education and Professional Writing and loves help writers on any writing project that they may have.