Research Process: Introduction

Once upon a time, there was a student who was assigned a research project by a teacher. Each of those words both excited and intimidated her - "research" and "project." Together they seemed to present both an impossible task, a mountain to climb. She didn't know how she would ever start or finish, but she knew she had to try her best.

Think of your research process like a form of storytelling. As a researcher, you get to investigate and reveal a story that answers a question you have asked. The information you find will help you to discover an answer your question, and then you get to share that story with others. Research is not a fact-finding mission, although that can be part of the story. It's a process of wondering, seeking, discovering, and sharing, and sometimes we even have to go back to the beginning.

• This guide will take you through the steps of the process you can expect when you are assigned a research project of any kind, in any subject.
• "Breaks" will be mini-tutorials about strategies and tools to help you.

Through any research process, it is normal and natural to seek help, and you have lots of help available to you!