Skip to Main Content

ENGL Library Research Guide

Start your research

Research Process flow chart - shows a diagram going from reference material to newspapers to books and then to academic articles

Image from: http://iupui.campusguides.com/startyourresearch/knowledgecycle 

Having trouble coming up with a topic for your paper? Have a topic, but need a more focused approach? Start here:

Browse topics and find background information

Find definitions: Oxford English Dictionary

Current or controversial topics:


Activity: Which topic is narrower?

MLA Citation:
Brinkerhoff, Celia. "Activity: Which Topic is Narrower?" Doing Research: A Student's Guide to Finding and Using the Best Sources, KPU Library, 2019, pressbooks.bccampus.ca/doingresearch/chapter/narrowing/ . Used with permission.

Don't type your entire Research Question into you Database search box. You need to identify the main keywords and use them to search for your resources:

Example: The impact of sea level rise due to climate change on ecology of people living in coastal areas

Your turn:  Labeling policy for genetically modified foods in Canada should be mandatory.  Which terms are key concepts, and which one should not be used when searching in databases?

 

Activity: Identify main keywords in the sentences below

MLA citation:
Brinkerhoff, Celia. "Activity: Focus on the Keywords of a Research Question." Doing Research: A Student's Guide to Finding and Using the Best Sources, KPU Library, 2019, pressbooks.bccampus.ca/doingresearch/chapter/keywords/.
(Used under CC-BY 4.0 International licence.)

Activity: