How to Research Quickly

Scriptorium Team
7 days ago
3 min read

With constant changes on the internet, there’s one thing for certain: people have forgotten how to research and how to research well. Relying on headlines as they doom scroll through social media or cruise through popular search engines doesn’t quite make the cut, and finding correct information in a flash has become a lost art. But with the help of technical writers and business communicators at Scriptorium, we can offer you a quick refresh on how to research when time is limited.

A student, in a cafe with their laptop open, is reading through textbooks and sectioning off important areas with sticky notes.

How to Prepare

Focus! Write down what you’re researching and list three goals that you want to address. Keep your written focus in front of you—either on a post-it note or on your phone for quick access. It’s easy to go down the rabbit hole when researching, and if you don’t have time to spare, you need to avoid distractions.

Once you have your topic and three goals, brainstorm keywords that fit each. These keywords will be used for your search, and by establishing them before you begin delving into the internet, you will save your time (and sanity!).

Where to Begin Your Research

Start by going to your preferred search engine. We recommend Google for general research, but consider:

Google Scholar for academics;
ResearchGate for science;
PubMed for medical research;
IEEE Xplore for technology;
JSTOR for journals in all subjects; and
CORE for research documentation of all subjects.

If your preferred method is using AI, remember to apply your Wikipedia smarts as you delve into what the platforms have to offer.

What to Type in the Search Bar?

Keep it simple, and use the keywords you established when preparing your topic and goals.

A quote, "Don't grab information just based on a headline. If the headline seems relevant to your topic, skim the article. At times, headlines can be misleading, and you want to ensure the information you're using is accurate," with a light coloured image of books in the background.

Filtering Information

After typing in your topic, you’ll get a variety of results—and here’s where things get tricky. To find the information you need for your topic, you have to filter websites to ensure the information you’re delving into is accurate.

Look for:

Established websites. Established websites include associations, online books, magazines, newspapers, universities, etc. that have accreditation and have credibility with the public.
Note: Articles/blogs published by post-secondary institutions may not have authors. As long as the institution is credible, using such information is viable.
Articles written by one or two authors who are experts in the topic.
Sources that can be searched. For example, if you’re on Wikipedia, scroll to the bottom of the page to view its notes, references, and bibliography. If an article has none of these options, the article is not credible enough for your research.
Current information—when was the information published? Within a year or two? Or is it past five?

Stay away from:

News articles with no authors.
Dated information that is past ten years.
Posts from social media with unverified sources (if they’re not experts in their field, it’s not credible).

Things to Remember

If you’ve found a fact that sounds interesting and is perfect for your topic, perform a quick search for it. If the fact comes up in your search and is cited by credible sources, it’s accurate.
Don’t grab information just based on a headline. If the headline seems relevant to your topic, skim the article. At times, headlines can be misleading, and you want to ensure the information you’re using is accurate.
Cite your information! Citing information properly gives credit to the work you’ve done, but also gives that much-needed nod to the individuals who have done the research before you. Citations also help you avoid the legal issues surrounding plagiarism.