Begin with a general idea of your topic then look for information to help you focus on specific concepts, generate keywords for your searches, and narrow down the topic. In this part of the process you're browsing and doing a little reading to get familiar with the topic and generate ideas.
It's easy to believe that your searching will turn up articles that directly address your topic in detail. Really, you'll need to look at many articles and piece together information from each one. Gather more than you'll need. Review the articles, then choose the ones that will help you write.
It may be tempting to think....Isn't everything on the internet? Can't I just use Google and Wikipedia for my research?
While Google, Wikipedia, and other internet sources can be useful, you don't want to rely on them for your research. Why not?
Is it ever okay to use Google or Wikipedia?