Oxford Dictionary of Construction, Surveying, and Civil Engineering by Academic research is a process, not a result. Successful research a little planning and patience as you adapt to different research topics in different areas of study.
Generally, the process outlined below is a good one to follow for most unfamiliar with academic research.
1). Pick a Topic
Sometimes you get to choose your topic, sometimes it's a general topic is chosen for you and you need to select a sub-topic within it. Regardless, if you're able try to focus on something that interests you. This could be because you've had some experience with it, or something new you want to learn more about.
2). Ask Questions
Questions are a useful way to narrow down from a general topic/sub-topic to a specific area of research. If your topic is a broad category (ex. Healthcare), try using who, what, where, when, why, and how as prompts to determine what aspects of your topic you'd like to explore.
3). Find Keywords
After you've narrowed your topic, conduct some background research on the narrowed area. Usually background research is done in tertiary or reference sources and databases. See the Reference Database menu on this page for several background research options.
4). Determine Where To Search
Once some initial keywords have been determined you will need to use them somewhere to search. The library has both specific databases to search in, as well as our Discovery service that unifies many databases and book catalogs in one place. Discovery is better for a general search, but if you already know your topic area specific databases may help as well.
5). Build and Adjust Your Search
Most successful searches aren't the first ones you try. As you go through your search process pay attention to the keywords and alternative synonyms of your current keywords that can be added to your search.
Ex. Instead of just using the keyword "teenager", use "adolescent" as well.
6). Cite Your Sources
Academic scholarship is a conversation. Depending on the discipline this can stretch back decades or centuries between various academics, scholars, researchers, and primary sources. Citing where you obtained the information in your research is both a way of carrying that conversation forward, as well as
Primary, Secondary, Tertiary Sources
Primary - Sources that are typically information or knowledge that come from a direct observation or personal experience. Because different disciplines rely on different sources and kinds of information what counts as a primary source will also differ by discipline.
Secondary - Sources that are usually commentary (scholarly or otherwise) on primary source information. Like primary sources, what can count as a secondary source may differ by discipline. Generally though, if the author does not have first hand knowledge of their topic it is probably a secondary source. Examples include biographies, literature reviews,
Tertiary - Sources that reference general or common information. Tertiary sources are wonderful tools for your initial background research on a topic. Some examples include encyclopedias, atlases, and fact books.
Grey Literature - Commonly refers to any information not formally published in a traditional academic or commercial publishing model. Grey literature has typically not gone through a peer reviewed process but, depending on the source, may still be useful for background research. Examples include government documents, white papers, and evaluations,
Peer Reviewed vs. Scholarly
Peer reviewed sources are typically articles or reports published in academic journals which undergo a review process by academics whose background is similar to the journal's (and author's) expertise. Essentially this is the quality check on the work's methodology, bibliography, and technical details. To find out if an article is peer reviewed or not, check what journal it was published in via a database or online search and see if the journal is listed as a peer reviewed source.
Scholarly sources are pieces of information written by one or more authors who are knowledgeable in the subject area they are writing about, but the information has not been published through a peer-reviewed process. Examples include an online blog, a newspaper opinion piece, a dissertation, or student academic research.
In summary, peer reviewed sources are usually scholarly, but scholarly sources are not always peer reviewed.
