This guide provides recommended research tools and skills for COMM 105.
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Choosing a topic is the first step in starting your research. It is a good idea to start with a broad topic and narrow it down based on your interest, perspective, and available resources. Questions to help you choose a topic:
Choose a broad topic and begin to narrow it down. Consider the "angle" you approach your topic from. You may consider using a brainstorm/mind mapping worksheet or free online tool (such as mindmeister) to help you narrow the topic and start your research.
Before you begin researching a topic you will need to do some "presearch." This means thinking critically about the topic and brainstorming keywords, terms, and concepts associated with your topic. Creating a mind map can help you in this process when you complete it on your own, but for now we will work together on one topic from our brainstorming session.
Example from Class: Students generated the keywords below for the topic "Pixar"
Tips for brainstorming keywords on your topic:
Once you have a good list of keywords its time to try them out. These strategies will help you regardless of the tool you choose for your research query.
When you're ready to research a topic (you've listed your keywords) and gather basic information it's a good idea to try a few general sources such as the ones below. You may also browse the A-Z database list for other databases or start your search on the web. These questions can help you think critically about the results garnered from your searches:
If you would like in-depth help with research, make an appointment with your librarian by completing the online form at the link below: