ShmoopTube

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[Dino and Coop singing]

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When you think about doing research, you must think of long hours in a library with a huge [Clock ticking by]

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stack of books in front of you. [Pile of books falls over]

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Libraries? They’re those places where you can go to borrow…ah, forget it. [Girl looks annoyed and walks away]

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Whether you’re doing research online or in one of those antique-y library places…

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…there are some decisions you’ll need to make.

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When we do research, we start with a topic, but that alone isn't quite enough. [Coop pointing at a blackboard]

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Topics are pretty general…we make them more precise by asking a particular research question [Dino pointing at a blackboard]

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about the topic.

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All right, so say our topic is wolves. [Wolf in a woods]

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Although that's only one animal, it's a pretty big topic. There are so many things we could

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research about wolves: where they live, what they eat, what they like in their lattes. [Wolf in a bed like Little Red Riding Hood]

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If we took the time to research all of those things, we'd soon be overwhelmed with wolf info. [Wolf ordering a coffee]

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Instead, we can ask a specific question.

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Like: how do wolves hunt? What do wolves eat? Is it smart to keep a wolf as a pet?

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This approach is a lot less general than just the topic of "wolves," and it helps guide our research.

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If a book gives us information on how wolves hunt, great. If the book is about why they

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don't ride jet skis… not so much. [People reading books about the information in a library]

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Now that we have our topic and our research question, we're ready to hit the books.

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Or…the web pages, or whatever. [Boxing glove punches books away]

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That said, not all sources are created equal, and when you're doing research, you always [Stop sign appears over a book and a TV on a scale]

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need to make sure they’re valid.

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It’s important to note where the information is coming from. That means looking at who [Coop pointing at a blackboard]

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published it, who wrote it, and what sources the author used.

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Say we're researching how wolves hunt and we've come across a book published by a university

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press, written by one of America's foremost experts on wolf behavior, who's drawing on [Book falls into a girl's hands]

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his own research and that of his peers. Sounds like a good source that'd be worth a read, right? [Tick appears over the book]

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On the other hand, if we come across a handmade comic book our classmate Andrew left in the

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library about superhero Wolfman, we might want to give it a pass. [Guy walking away from the comic book]

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Once you actually start researching, don't forget: organization is key. [Dino pointing at a blackboard]

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You'll be gathering all sorts of new information, so make sure you're taking notes to keep track of everything.

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Remember, you're going to have to do some actual writing eventually, and well-organized notes

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will make the process a lot easier than just a collection of dim memories. [Someone crossing out cotton candy on a list of what wolves eat]

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So if you start with a topic, develop a research question, check the validity of your sources,

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and stay organized, your research should go swimmingly. [Man reading in a swimming pool]

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Oh and, for the record, you can’t have a wolf as a pet. Trust us, we tried. [Stop sign over wolf on a couch]

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We’re still cleaning up the office.

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Rest in peace, Fluffers. [Gravestone for Fluffers the rabbit]

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