Research is a process students can follow.

What to do

Before searching, identify the subject, product, criteria, due date, required source types, word count, citation style, and any restrictions on AI or collaboration.

• What exactly am I being asked to produce?
• Which subject lens or method should I use?
• What would count as weak evidence for this task?

Library support

Library support: ask the Librarian if the task requires research but you are unsure which databases, source types, or citation expectations apply.

What to do

Start broadly. Read a textbook or course companion section, make a concept map, search in English and Chinese, and save promising keywords, names, theories, cases, and data sources.

Before moving on

By the end of exploration, aim to have a broad topic, 8-15 useful keywords, several possible subtopics, at least three credible background sources, and a sense of whether evidence is available.

What to do

Use background reading to understand key terms, theories, dates, debates, methods, and possible evidence. Wikipedia, study notes, and AI explanations may orient you, but they do not replace scholarly sources, official data, primary texts, or teacher-approved resources.

Search tip

After reading a good background source, use its bibliography, references, names, and keywords to find stronger sources.

What to do

Narrow by time, place, population, text, author, artwork, event, company, policy, organism, theory, model, method, data set, cause, effect, comparison, or evaluation.

Warning sign

Your topic is probably still too broad if you need to explain a whole country, industry, movement, or century before you can begin analysis.

Checklist

A strong research question is clear, focused, arguable, analytical, feasible, subject-appropriate, and answerable through credible evidence.

• Does it invite analysis rather than description?
• Can I answer it using credible sources or data?
• Does it avoid duplicating IA or other assessment work?

Weak to stronger example

Weak: How does social media affect teenagers?

Stronger: To what extent does short-form video use influence self-reported sleep quality among a defined student group, and what are the limitations of using survey data for this question?

Search moves

Turn your topic into keywords. Search broader terms first, then narrower terms. Use synonyms, subject terms, quotation marks for exact phrases, and English and Chinese keywords where useful.

Source tracking

Follow references in useful sources, check who has cited a useful article, and save full citation information as soon as you find a source.

Source types

• Background sources: orientation and vocabulary.
• Scholarly sources: academic argument and research.
• Official sources: reliable data and institutional information.
• Primary sources: original material for analysis.

Caution

News and magazine sources are useful for current examples and context, but they should not be your only evidence in a research essay.

Core questions

Ask who created the source, what expertise they have, who published it, what evidence or method it uses, whether it is current enough, what perspective or bias may be present, and whether claims can be verified elsewhere.

Lateral reading

For unfamiliar websites, use lateral reading: open other tabs and check what credible sources say about the author, organization, funding, reputation, and claims.

What to record

For each source, record citation details, database or website route, key terms, main idea, evidence, page number, your own response, connection to your research question, limitations, and any AI/process notes.

Annotated bibliography

An annotated bibliography should explain what the source is about, why it is credible, how it connects to the question, how it may be used, and what limitations it has.

Organize by idea

Group notes by ideas, not by source. Each paragraph should make a claim, use evidence, explain limitations, and connect back to the research question.

Paragraph check

Use a simple paragraph check: What point am I making? What evidence supports it? What still needs explanation, limitation, or counterargument?