Tips for Avoiding Research

Anxiety!

You've just been assigned a research paper/project/presentation. You aren't sure where to start and you're feeling a bit queasy. You aren't alone. Many students feel exactly the same way. Take a look through the tips below, take a deep breath, and you are on your way! (Some of these tips come from in-depth interviews (Fister)with students who successfully completed research projects.)

• Don't Delay Too many students do poorly on their papers and projects because they use a different model: they wait till the last minute, then hurriedly find a number of resources, read them and try to write the paper, without any focus. If you delay, you won't have time to:
  • Find the appropriate materials
  • Borrow materials we don't own from other libraries
  • Recall books that have been checked out
  • Find additional materials to fill any gaps
  • Read and reflect on the topic
  • Choose (or change) the focus

• Ask for helpDo think about asking a reference librarian for assistance. We'd be happy to give you a hand. In the University Library, the Reference Desk is to your left when you enter the building. We'd be happy to give you a hand. Brief questions can even be asked electronically. Use the Contact Us/Ask a Librarian link at http://library.albany.edu/contactus.html

• Don't worry! Don't be alarmed if you feel apprehensive or uncertain when you receive a research assignment. Many students do. The anxiety will ease up after you have selected a topic. A study proves it!(Kuhlthau)

• Pick a topic When you select a topic, try to identify controversial or cutting-edge issues in the subject will be examining. Choosing such a topic will allow you to contribute to the "conversation" in the field, rather than just rehashing what others think.

• Talk Go to your professor's or TA's office hours, and talk about what interests you. They will be happy to help you select a topic that you are interested in but is also pertinent to the assignment.

• Browse. Use Minerva to find an encyclopedia or other refernce book on your subject. Search for reference books by selecting Library/Collection/Format drop-down menu. Then perform a broad keyword search for your topic. Another strategy to find reference sources is to search the Reference Universe. Browse the books you find, like The Encyclopedia of Activism and Social Justice or The Encyclopedia of Africcan American Heritage, looking for entries that interest you. If something catches your interest, you've found a paper topic!

• Trace citations. Look at the list of citations in the articles and books you are reading to find related materials on your topic. Also try Minerva , article databases (available through Databases & Indexes), and the Internet.

• Use Customized Search Service (CSS). If you are having trouble finding resources, the Customized Search Service (CSS) is your next step. Customized Search Service (CSS) is an hour-long, one-on-one session with a librarian to help you get the most out of your research. These in-depth consultations can help you choose the right databases, formulate an effective search strategy, access new information and be kept up to date on the latest articles in your field. To make a CSS appointmen, visit the Reference desk in the University Library or call 442-3558.

• Evaluate. Look at the material you are finding. Not all sources are created equal! Be particularly vigilant when evaluating materials found on the Internet.

• Rethink. Revise. The research process works in a loop: some searching for materials, reading what you have and clarifying your focus, identifying additional sources that you need, finding and reading them. You may even need to find more sources once you have started to write, to make connections or fill holes. Selecting a focus within your topic is crucial.

• Take notes. Use notecards or some other method that works for you to keep track of direct quotes from your source material. Be sure to cite these quotes in the footnotes or endnotes for your paper. Make sure you have all the pertinent information for these cites!

• Submit a draft. Ask your professor for early feedback on your written work. Some professors require that you hand in a draft for comments. If your professor hasn't, ask if you might do so anyway. Both the earlier deadline and the chance to revise your work will help you.
  Fister, Barbara. "The Research Process of Undergraduate Students." The Journal of Academic Librarianship 18 (July 1992):163-169.

  Kuhlthau, Carol Collier. "Developing a Model of the Library Search Process : Cognitive and Affective Aspects." RQ 28 (inter 1988):232-242.

09/2007
Written by Trudi Jacobson
This page is maintained by Carol Anne Germain
Comments to cgermain@uamail.albany.edu