There are seven major steps in the research process. They are as follows:
Keep in mind that during the process you may need to revisit steps in order to refine your topic and/or results.
Click on any of the above links to learn more about each step.
KEEP TRACK OF YOUR RESOURCES!
While citing is often the last step of the research process, it is important to keep in mind throughout the time you spend researching.
When accumulating the resources you will use for your paper, keep track of the information you will need to cite that resource. That means, write down the information typically used in a citation, for example, the author(s)' name(s), complete title of the resource, publisher, date, etc. You might make and keep copies of the first pages of the resource, whether print or electronic, for easy citation later.
Make sure to also keep track of where you found the resource, by copying down the URL or the name of the library database you used to find it. If you don't keep good records, you may end up needing to re-locate that resource, which can be time consuming and frustrating.