How to Perform Academic Research

The library department at University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) has recommended the following steps to help students succeed in their academic research:

1. Students should begin by thoroughly reviewing all assignment instructions to ensure that they know what they are being asked to do and when their assignment is due. If any aspect of the assignment instructions is unclear, students should contact their instructor for clarification.
2. If students are given the opportunity to choose their own research topic, it's often a good idea for them to ask their instructor for feedback about their proposed topic in order to ensure that it will be acceptable.
3. Once an approved research topic is chosen, students should conduct background research on the topic. Helpful research information can include learning some of the key authors, terms, and/or theories that are relevant to the topic, as well as any controversies associated with or any gaps in research about the topic.
4. Based on their background reading, students should come up with a thesis that they'll try to support or a question that they'll try to answer in their paper.
5. Students should use their library’s databases (such as the UMGC Library's databases) to find scholarly journal articles and other documents that they can use as sources for their paper that support or refute their thesis. Librarians can help students find useful resources if needed. Students should carefully review their search results to determine the usefulness and credibility of what they've found.
6. Once students have gathered research from multiple sources, they should create an outline to help organize their thoughts and ensure that their paper will flow smoothly.
7. After performing the preliminary academic research, students can then create a first draft of their research paper, following the format and citation requirements noted in the assignment instructions. Once they have created their first draft, they can identify gaps in their research and find more credible sources to support their thesis.

“At UMGC, students can submit their outline, partial draft, or complete first draft to the Effective Writing Center for review and feedback if desired, and any feedback should be taken into consideration when the final draft is written,” says Cynthia Thomes, business reference librarian at UMGC. “The UMGC Library and Effective Writing Center both have extensive resources that can help students with each step of the research process, and we encourage students to contact us for assistance.”

How Do You Get Started If You’ve Never Performed Academic Research Before?

Students who are just starting their academic research can take advantage of services that are provided by their chosen educational institution, which is usually offered by the library department.

Working with experts in the field, such as librarians, can get you on the right track in the beginning of your research, or they can be a helpful refresher for those who have performed academic research in the past.

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Students who are transitioning from undergraduate to graduate research should understand the difference and academic expectations and how it applies to their chosen field.

“Research varies between different academic subjects,” says Thomes. “History classes might ask students to find and analyze primary sources, like diaries and newspaper articles written at the time that a particular event occurred. Psychology classes might ask students to find and evaluate an empirical research article. Marketing classes might ask students to find information about the expected market for a particular product or service.”

Undergraduate assignments are generally straightforward. For example, an undergraduate business class assignment might ask students to find out who the leaders are at a certain company and what employees think of the leadership at the company. To do that, students need to be able to conduct basic research, such as finding a current company organization chart, and newspaper and journal articles that discuss labor relations at the company.

Graduate-level assignments generally go beyond this and ask students to apply what they've read about. A graduate business class assignment might ask students to consider what they've read about various management theories to explain which theories are being used at a particular company. For students to be able to do that, they need to look for documents that discuss the work environment at a company and think about how what they've read is relevant to the company, which requires students to be able to think critically and creatively.

“All of these different types of research will require different search strategies, which is where librarians can help, as we're familiar with which resources will work best for students' research depending on what they're trying to find,” says Thomes. “We're always happy to recommend databases and other resources or to suggest search techniques and other useful information.”

How Does UMGC Support Students in Their Academic Research?