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University of Minnesota

Kathryn A. Martin Library

Research Process

Walk through a simplified research process to get started on your research projects.

Meet Mable!

Mable has a research paper assigned in one of her classes. As a new Environmental Science student she doesn't quite know where to start, but she heard about climate justice on a podcast and is interested in exploring that topic for her paper. Mable is going to start by doing some background research to learn more.

When you’re choosing a topic, it’s okay to start out broad. The next section, background and keywords, will explore how you can follow the threads that will help you narrow the focus of your topic. For example, Mable heard about her topic on a podcast, which is a great place to start. You can find ideas for research in lots of places, and you don't need to focus on finding an overly academic or "serious" topic -- if something interests you, follow your curiosity!

Reflection Questions

Take into consideration the assignment requirements and time constraints and scope (or size and scale):

  • What are you being asked to do for this assignment? Does your topic match that scope?
  • How can you leverage your curiosity to meet the scope of the assignment?

Tip

Scoping or shaping your topic can be a deceptively challenging part of the research process. It's a good idea to bounce ideas off of your friends, classmates, professor and librarian -- they can help you focus in on a manageable topic. Scoping will look different for every person and in different contexts.