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Foundations of Scholarship and Learning (FSL): Steps in the Research Process

Resources for the Foundations of Scholarship and Learning (FSL) class

Steps in the Research Process

1. Formulate your question or topic
2. Gather background information
3. Consider your resource options
4. Develop a search strategy using keywords and Boolean operators
5. Locate materials
6. Refine or adjust search depending on findings
7. Analyze materials
8. Organize and write
9. Cite!

Popular vs. Scholarly Chart

Strive to make your writing scholarly in nature, by using scholarly terms, as opposed to using popular ones.

Review this chart to get some ideas.   

Ask Yourself: Popular Scholarly
Who is the author?
 A writer, journalist, editor
 A professor, scholar, expert of the specific topic
Who is the intended
audience?
 The general public Other scholars, researchers in the field, students studying that topic
What is the purpose of the
publication?
 To inform or entertain To report original research, experiments, theories
Does the author cite sources?
 Sometimes, usually not Yes. Always. Lots of them.
What is the appearance?
 Colorful, glossy, heavy graphics and advertisements Plain cover, plain paper, minimal graphics or advertisements
Examples: TIME, Newsweek,
Psychology Today		 Harvard Educational Review, Journal  of Applied Physics
   





 

 

Sample flow chart for Research and Writing

Agency where you served during service day

(Example- Second Harvest)

                                                                                                              ↓

Problem your agency was trying to solve

(Example- hunger)

                                                                                                              ↓

Possible solutions for the problem your agency was trying to solve

(Examples- food bank/food pantry, community gardens, cheaper food prices)

                                                                                                              ↓

One solution out of all possible solutions

(Example- community gardens)

/       \

  Pros of the one solution  Cons of the one solution

What is Academic Writing?

What is Critical Thinking?

Library Resources