Have you ever heard a song, made a mental note to look up its name, but then forgot all of the words? You remember wanting to hear it again and add it to your workout playlist, but all you remember is a short bit of the tune? How did you go about finding the song?

Chances are, you had to:

• Investigate to find out the song’s melody. Maybe you hummed the tune for a few friends, or remember that it sounded somewhat similar to another song you already heard, and used that song as a reference point.
• Investigate to find out the song’s title (“E.T.,” “The Lazy Song,” “Born This Way,” “Latinoamérica”).
• Investigate to find out who performed the song (Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Kanye West, Calle 13).
• Investigate to find out which album that song was on (Teenage Dream, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, Born This Way, Entren Los Que Quieran) and if there are other songs you might also enjoy.
• Investigate to find out where you can purchase or download the song for the best price.

You can’t—and won’t—get what you want without investigating. And it’s really no different with researching. Investigating is essential to your research because the questions you ask and the places you look will give you the results you need to create a convincing and compelling argument. Researching will take time and effort, so it pays off to take the time up front to learn about the best strategies for maximizing your research in order to identify and utilize the best sources. The wrong approach can waste your time and effort and result in a weak paper or report.