ENVS 330: Professor Lynch : Basic Research Tips: Evolving, Discovery and Keywords

Tricks of the Trade: How to Approach Research

• Experiment: Open your mind to what is presented in the articles you encounter. What key terms do they present? How does this article help me? What other new ideas or search terms am I locating? 
• Trial and Error: Often times, new researchers are hesitant to try new key terms or places to search. It's okay to try--actually, it is important to try out different things. The worst that can happen is that with one try, you do not retrieve helpful results. That just calls for reframing and trying a new approach. 
• Time Management: Don't expect to gather articles quickly and be done with the project. You need to give the process time and attention. 
• Evolution: Let the process evolve. Most often, your original research thesis reads a bit differently after collecting information and analyzing it. 

KEYTERMS: Start out with broad ideas. For example, let's say your research topic revolves around how humans are affected by exercising outdoors:

Examine the list of results, then select articles that appear useful--remember, keep an open mind--allow the articles to present a variety of themes and new avenues to drive your research. 

Here's an article that provides new concepts and key terms: 

You can then try new searches combining terms that you find useful to your research. 

Pro Tip: Keep a research diary of the terms and databases you've visited. It helps map out your evolution and maintains a clear research path.