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CO233: Communication Research

Steps to Effective Research

These steps outline a simple and effective strategy for conducting your research. We are ready to help you at every step in your research.


  • Identify a Topic of Interest
  • Find the Context: Background Information 
  • Develop a Research Question
  • Locate Sources 
  • Evaluate What You Find
  • Cite What You Find

Break Up the Topic

Think about how you can break your search topic into different aspects, including:

* forms of media (television, Internet, news, advertising,  etc.), * groups (women, college students, immigrants, etc.) * concepts (race, sexuality, marketing, body image, etc.), * specific theories

Search for these aspects separately or in combination.  

Think of alternative and related terms to use  so that you don't miss anything.

Video Tutorial: Narrow Your Research Topic

Browse Encyclopedias

Broad Database Searching

Using a  broad search like "advertising" or "violence"  or "social media" when trying to select a topic will help you get a sense of some of the many ways scholars  have approached an issue.