Research+Cycle

The Research Cycle (6 Steps to Success)

Step 1: Questioning

1. Begin by brainstorming what you already know about your topic. 2. Develop open-ended questions about your research topic. 3. Go beyond the typical who, what, when, and where questions. 4. Avoid questions that can be answered with yes, no, and other single word answers. 5. Think about the issues, trends, impact, consequences and beyond.

Step 2: Planning

1. Circle the keywords in your research questions. 2. Create a list of synonyms for the keywords. The synonyms are useful when you begin searching in indexes and online. It’s okay to use a thesaurus. 3. Think about the sources that will be most helpful in answering your research questions. 4. Sources may include, but are not limited to: encyclopedias, non-fiction books, magazines, newspapers, people, digital databases available on your school webpage, and other online sources.

Step 3: Gathering

1. This is where you begin taking notes that answer your questions. 2. You may use traditional note cards or another method assigned by your teacher. 3. It’s very important that you keep track of the sources you use for notes. This is called bibliographic citation. A Bibliography is also called Works Cited. Record each source used accurately for you bibliography. 4. Before you begin taking notes from a source, check for relevancy, authority, currency, and objectivity. •Relevancy – Does the information answer any of my questions or does it give me important new information to add to my questions? •Authority – Do you recognize the author? What company, government, or education institution supports this information? •Currency – Is the information up to date? •Objectivity – Does the information inform, persuade, or both?

Step 4: Sorting

1. Organize your note cards on a table and separate into two piles – one for notes and the other for source cards. 2. Group note cards together by topic or related questions. 3. Read your cards critically and ask the following questions: •DoI have enough information to write a well-supported paragraph for each category? •Do I have enough details? •Do I have examples? •What am I missing? 4. Discard any useless information. 5. Circle or highlight any area of your notes that need more information. If necessary, go back to the gathering stage before you move on. 6. Put your cards in the order you plan to use them in your final product.

Step 5: Synthesizing

1. Think about all the information you have gathered and what you have learned during this process. 2. Make connections with what you knew before your started the research. 3. Create an outline from your notes. This will help you see the patterns and logic of your final product. 4. Remember – it’s not too late to backtrack for additional information if necessary.

Step 6: Producing

1. Congratulations! You have finished the most difficult steps of the research cycle. 2.Before you choose a final product- think about your audience and purpose. 3. Check with your teacher for approval before beginning your final project.