- Consult the Internet. Use Internet sources cautiously. Be sure you know and trust the source of any information found on the open Internet. Look for sources you can trust such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, .GOV sites, and .EDU sites.
- Consult a good encyclopedia for a broad overview of your subject. Examples: Encyclopedia Britanica, Encyclopedia Americana
- Consult an almanac, a collection of miscellaneous facts and statistical information about a wide variety of subjects. Examples: Information Please Almanac, Fast Facts
- Consult the appropriate indexes. Indexes do not present the information you are looking for, but they will tell you where to find it and so save you much time and energy. Examples: Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature, Social Science Index
- Consult databases and abstracting services. Data searches are easier than ever with modern information-retrieval. Examples: ProQuest, EbscoHost
- Consult the subject index of the library for books on your subject. Use broad subject headings as well as narrow ones; often a book that treats a larger subject will have a chapter or two on your subject.
- Obtain and read the books and articles that are most relevant to your subject. Through the number of books and articles you read will depend on the scope of your project, the first six steps of the process should be followed for all but the very briefest of treatments.
