Research Process

Research is very crucial whether it is for a huge research paper, or when someone is trying to figure out the date of a certain historical event, research helps to gather accurate information. There are many tools used for research: the web, the library, instruction manuals, magazines, journals, etc. Different types of research require different types of research material and it is always a task to figure out what source to use. My research process involves a lot of internet use, but I am not afraid to step foot into the library if I have to.

When I am given a topic to research I head straight to the internet. I feel as if the internet is so helpful with sites like Google, but it also can work as an online library. If I want to find a book or journal instead of walking all the way to the library and discovering it is not there, I can just check the web. I rely so highly on the internet for research, probably because the topics and information on the internet are endless. I have become very experienced with internet search engines over the years and find them to be my most helpful research tool.

But, since I have not always had the luxury of the internet, since it only became extremely popular eight years ago, I grew up using the resources the library has to offer. I still like to use the library when researching, but I have become spoiled with the internet, so the library is not the first place I turn for valuable research information.

I find research very helpful, because when researching I always find wide varieties of information, so I can develop a better understanding of what I am doing research on. Also, when using the web to do research so many different ideas comes up on one topic, it makes it so easy to go in any direction with the research that I want. I always feel confident when researching, because I know that for the most part the information I am finding is accurate and reliable.

One negative thing about research is sometimes, a person cannot always believe everything that they see on the internet. That is when research becomes hard. When a person does research on the internet it becomes frustrating when sources always have to be checked out for authenticity. Also, it is frustrating when doing research at the library, because sometimes books or journals a person would want are checked out or were not put back in the correct location. So it is always time consuming to track down a certain book. But, I see many more positive sides to research than negative ones and find researching to be extremely helpful.