How To Do Research

When you search for information, you're going to find lots of it . . . but is it good information? You will have to determine that for yourself, and the CRAAP Test can help. The CRAAP Test is a list of questions to help you evaluate the information you find. Different criteria will be more or less important depending on your situation or need.   

Evaluation Criteria

CURRENCY: The timeliness of the information.
RELEVANCE: Does the information meet your needs.
AUTHORITY: The source of the information.
ACCURACY: Reliability & truthfulness of content.
PURPOSE: The reason the information exists.

Click below to learn more about using the CRAAP Test

Books and eBooks

Provide broad, foundational coverage of a topic, usually with an in-depth analysis.

Reference Sources, Encyclopedias, and Handbooks

Offer introductory overviews.  You can find background information to help you select a topic and place it in the broader context of the discipline.

Scholarly Peer-Reviewed Journals

Contain articles written and reviewed by experts in the discipline. Topics are usually more narrowly focused.

Popular Magazines

Are written for general audiences and are meant to entertain, inform, or present an opinion.  Authors are usually employed by the magazine.  (examples: Time, Sports Illustrated)

Newspapers or News Sources

Available in print and online and one of the first mediums to report on an event.

Websites/Social Media

Provide ready access to information of all kinds. They often provide valuable information, but you must carefully evaluate the credibility and reliability of web sources.

Other Sources

Include reports, government documents, case studies, datasets, audio and video materials, primary documents/archival materials.

Some key characteristics will help you distinguish between research and review articles. A research article is describes an experiment that attempts to solve or address a very specific problem/issue. These articles always contain the standard sections:

Abstract - This is a brief paragraph description of the inner-workings of the article. The abstract allows scholars and scientists to ascertain what the article is about in just a few seconds. 

Introduction - This section states the purpose of the article, defining the problem and putting it into context.  It may include a review of the published literature on the topic.

Review of literature - This section is usually located just after the research description. The review summarizes the results of other experiments that have been done in the past.

Method - This section contains a detailed description of the approach the researchers have taken to test the idea, problem, or issue.

Results - The Results of the experiment or test is explained after the Method description.

Discussion or Conclusion - This is where the researchers interpret the results of the experiment or test and create meaning.

The research article always ends with a "Bibliography" or "References" or "Works Cited" section.
 

This interactive tutorial (hosted by NCSU Library System) illustrates the components of a journal article:
https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/tutorials/scholarly-articles/