Learning Objectives
- Explain the research process
The Research Process
Research is not a strict, linear process where each stage must be completed before moving on to the next. Instead, it is an iterative process—you will revisit and refine your topic, sources, and writing as you progress. Rather than waiting until you have gathered all your sources to start writing, begin early and adjust your thesis, research, and arguments as needed.
Use the following research process as a flexible guide to help you develop a well-structured and well-supported paper.

Figure 1. Although there is a suggested and maybe even logical sequence of steps in the Research Process, don’t feel the need to completely finish one step before moving on to the next. As you gain more experience and practice, these steps will become more fluid and flexible.
Step 1: Define the Topic
- If you have been assigned a topic, carefully review the instructions to understand its scope.
- If you can choose your own topic, select one that interests you and has enough research available.
Step 2: Narrow the Topic
Refining your topic helps focus your research and argument. Think of it like finding a seat in a stadium: you start with a general area (subject), move to a specific row (narrowed topic), and then find an exact seat (precise focus). This also helps you narrow your search parameters when you start to gather background information and sources.
Example: NArrowing your topic
- General topic: Inclusive education
- Limited topic: Neurodivergent students in a classroom setting
- Specific focus: How technology can enhance learning for neurodivergent students
Your goal is to do more than just provide a broad overview; instead, you should help facilitate your reader’s deeper understanding of the issue.
Step 3: Gather Background Information (Pre-Research)
Begin by figuring out what you know about the topic, and then fill in any gaps you may have on the basics by looking at more general sources. At this stage, Wikipedia, encyclopedias, and general web searches are useful for gathering basic information. This will help you:
- Identify key concepts and terminology related to your topic.
- Recognize common debates or areas of controversy.
- Pinpoint gaps in your understanding that need further research.
Once you understand the basics, look for areas of debate or conflicting perspectives.
Step 4: Create a Research Question
Once you have narrowed your topic so that it is manageable, it is then time to generate research questions about your topic. A strong research question:
- Is thought-provoking and sparks curiosity.
- Is open-ended (not a simple yes/no answer).
- Encourages debate and deeper exploration.
- Clearly defines what you want to investigate.
Decide which question addresses the issue that concerns you—that will be your main research question. Secondary questions will address the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the issue.
Example: Research Questions
- Main research question: Do media portrayals of women highlight their strengths or weaknesses as political leaders?
- Secondary questions:
- How can more women enter leadership roles?
- What role does the media play in discouraging women from politics?
- How many women are involved in politics at the state or national level?
- Why do women leave politics, and how long do they typically stay?
Step 5: Develop a Working Thesis Statement
Once you’ve explored your research question, answer it with a working thesis statement. A thesis statement is a single sentence that identifies the topic, shows the paper’s direction, and conveys the writer’s stance. A thesis statement should:
- Narrow the subject to a single, clear argument.
- State the topic and your assertion about that topic.
- Convey the purpose of your research.
- Provide a preview of how the essay will be arranged (usually).
Example: Working Thesis
“While media portrayals of female politicians have improved over time, they continue to emphasize appearance over policy, reinforcing stereotypes that hinder women’s political advancement.”
Step 6: Find and Cite Sources
Determine what kind of sources are best for your argument. How many sources will you need? How long should your paper be? Will you need primary or secondary sources? Where will you find the best information?
Use library databases, Google Scholar, and academic journals to find credible sources.
Step 7: Create a Bibliography While Researching
It’s a good idea to create your bibliography as you gather and reference sources in your paper, so you don’t end up scrambling to find various sources (and potentially leave some off) in the end. You can use citation management tools like Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote to organize references.
Remember to ensure all sources are relevant, credible, and correctly cited based on your required citation style (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).
Step 8: Write and Edit Your Paper
Finally, you’ll incorporate the research into your own writing. Remember to:
- Start writing early and refine your work as you incorporate research.
- Properly integrate and cite your sources to support your argument.
- Revise for clarity, coherence, and logical flow.
- Proofread for grammar, punctuation, and formatting errors.
By following this process, you will develop a well-supported, thoughtfully structured paper while refining your ideas along the way.
Try It
Walking, Talking, Cooking, and Eating
Next, we’ll examine the research writing process through the example of Marvin, a student at Any College who gets advice from an online professor on writing his research paper. You’ll read bits and pieces of their dialogue throughout the module and come to understand how the research writing process can be compared to walking, talking, cooking, and eating. In the following dialogue, consider the professor’s recommendations to Marvin about how to think more deeply about his assignment and what angle to take for his paper. Just like Martin, you should begin your research by thinking about the importance of your topic and what about it you find interesting. It also helps to talk with someone about your paper, whether that be a friend, family member, classmate, teaching assistant, librarian, or professor.
Getting Started: Walking to Sources
Marvin, a college student at Any College, sits down at his computer. He logs in to the “Online Professor (O-Prof),” an interactive advice site for students. After setting up a chat, he begins tapping the keys.
Marvin: Hi. I’m a student in the physician assistant program. The major paper for my health and environment class is due in five weeks, and I need some advice. The professor says the paper has to be 6–8 pages, and I have to cite and document my sources.
O-Prof: Congratulations on getting started early! Tell me a bit about your assignment. What’s the purpose? Who’s it intended for?
Marvin: Well, the professor said it should talk about a health problem caused by water pollution and suggest ways to solve it. We’ve read some articles, plus my professor gave us statistics on groundwater contamination in different areas.
O-Prof: What’s been most interesting so far?
Marvin: I’m amazed at how much water pollution there is. It seems like it would be healthier to drink bottled water, but plastic bottles hurt the environment.
O-Prof: Who else might be interested in this?
Marvin: Lots of people are worried about bad water. I might even get questions about it from my clients once I finish my program.
O-Prof: OK. So what information do you need to make a good recommendation?
Marvin thinks for a moment.
Marvin: I don’t know much about the health problems caused by contaminated drinking water. Whether the tap water is safe depends on where you live, I guess. The professors talked about arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh, but what about the water in the U.S.? For my paper, maybe I should focus on a particular location? I also need to find out more about what companies do to make sure bottled water is pure.
O-Prof: Good! Now that you know what you need to learn, you can start looking for sources.
Marvin: When my professors talk about sources, they usually mean books or articles about my topic. Is that what you mean?
O-Prof: Books and articles do make good sources, but you might think about sources more generally as “forms of meaning you use to make new meaning.” It’s like your bottled water. The water exists already in some location but is processed by the company before it goes to the consumer. Similarly, a source provides information and knowledge that you process to produce new meaning, which other people can then use to make their own meaning.
A bit confused, Marvin scratches his head.
Marvin: I thought I knew what a source was, but now I’m not so sure.
O-Prof: Think about it. Sources of meaning are everywhere—for example, your own observations or experiences, the content of other people’s brains, visuals and graphics, experiment results, TV and radio broadcasts, and written texts. And, there are many ways to make new meaning from sources. You can give an oral presentation, design a web page, paint a picture, or write a paper.
Marvin: I get it. But how do I decide which sources to use for my paper?
O-Prof: It depends on the meaning you want to make, which is why it’s so important to figure out the purpose of your paper and who will read it. You might think about using sources as walking, talking, cooking, and eating. These aren’t the only possible metaphors, but they do capture some important things about using sources.
Marvin: Hey! I thought we were talking about writing!
O-Prof: We are, but these metaphors can shed some light on writing with sources. Let’s start with the first one: walking. To use sources well, you first have to go where they are. What if you were writing an article on student clubs for the school newspaper? Where would you go for information?
Marvin: I’d probably walk down to the Student Activities office and get some brochures about student clubs. Then I’d attend a few club meetings and maybe interview the club leaders and some members about their club activities.
O-Prof: OK, so you’d walk to where you could find relevant information for your article. That’s what I mean by walking. You have to get to the sources you need.
Marvin: Wait a minute. For the article on student clubs, maybe I could save some walking. Maybe the list of clubs and the club descriptions are on the Student Activities web page. That’d save me a trip.
O-Prof: Yes, the Internet has cut down on the amount of physical walking you need to do to find sources. Before the Internet, you had to either travel to a source’s physical location, or bring that source to your location. Think about your project on bottled water. To get information about the quality of a city’s tap water in the 1950s, you would have had to figure out who’d have that information, then call or write to request a copy or walk to wherever the information was stored. Today, if you type “local water quality” into Google, the Environmental Protection Agency page comes up as one of the first hits. Its home page links to water quality reports for local areas.
Marvin pauses for a second before responding, thinking he’s found a good short cut for his paper.
To be continued. . .
Try It
Candela Citations
- Revision and Adaptation. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
- The Research Process graphic. Authored by: Kim Louie for Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
- Modification, adaptation, and original content. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
- Walk, Talk, Cook, Eat: A Guide to Using Sources. Authored by: Cynthia R. Haller. Located at: http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/writing-spaces-readings-on-writing-vol-2.pdf. Project: Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing Vol. 2. License: CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
- Organizing Your Research Plan, modified. Provided by: Boundless. Located at: https://www.boundless.com/writing/textbooks/boundless-writing-textbook/the-research-process-2/organizing-your-research-plan-262/organizing-your-research-plan-51-1304/. Project: Boundless Writing. License: CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
- Research steps. Provided by: Jean and Alexander Heard Library. Located at: http://researchguides.library.vanderbilt.edu/c.php?g=293170&p=1952201. License: CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
- Thesis statement information, Pot of Gold, Information Literacy Tutorial. Authored by: Notre Dame. Located at: http://library.nd.edu/instruction/potofgold/investigating/?page=10. License: CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
- Steps 2-4 in the Research Process come from Chapter 1: Writing and Research in the Academic Sphere and Chapter 2: Research Proposals and Thesis Statements. Authored by: Denise Snee, Kristin Houlton, and Nancy Heckel. Edited by Kimberly Jacobs.. Located at: http://Research,%20Analysis,%20and%20Writing. License: CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
- Research question example. Provided by: Duke University Libraries. Located at: http://guides.library.duke.edu/c.php?g=289688&p=1930772. License: CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike