Undergraduate's Guide to Creating & Communicating Research

Before we begin new research, we want to understand what research has already been done. As we think about the question we want to ask, we want a sense of things like:

• Has it been asked before, in whole or in part?
• What research methods have been used to approach an answer?
• What limitations are noted in past studies?
• What populations or factors have been included or omitted in the past?
• Do we have evidence to suggest that previous answers are outdated, incomplete, or inaccurate?

This information about what has been done before will help to shape what we do this time in an attempt to get new or better answers.

Continue reading the pages in this section to learn:

• What do I search for?
• Where do I search?
• Can I get help searching?
• Now what? A Lit Review How-To