What exactly should I plan to do, and can I get it done in the time available?
In general, a research plan should document your knowledge of the topic and demonstrate your enthusiasm and ability to explore its limits. Leave your readers wondering, "Wow, what an exciting idea; I can’t wait to see how it turns out!"
Finding Keywords, Background Information, and Topics
Credo is an easy-to-use tool for starting research. Gather background information on your topic from hundreds of full-text encyclopedias, dictionaries, quotations, and subject-specific titles, as well as 500,000+ images and audio files and over 1,000 videos.
An award-winning, cloud-based information literacy solution that enables educators and librarians to guide students through research projects efficiently.
Encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference titles in core subject areas. Entries include quick reference articles, illustrations, photographs, line diagrams, maps, and tables.
Research the pros and cons of current issues and enduring social issues through full-text articles, multimedia, primary sources, government documents and reference materials. Also an online database of Internet resources providing access to quality Web sites on almost any subject. Sites have been evaluated for credibility and relevance to researchers' needs.
Is your topic recent?
So recent that you are having trouble finding scholarly sources? Here are some useful strategies:
Find information on the topic’s context. There is no such thing as an isolated incident. Even an event that happened in the last hour developed out of historical conditions. Think about the policies, events, and rhetoric in which your topic is centered.
Find information on a similar past event and compare the two events as much as possible. Examples include another earthquake, hurricane, political unrest, nuclear disaster that happened in the past which you can use to relate to the current event
Find information on related themes. Such as the environmental impact of nuclear disaster, social and economic impact of political unrest, political aspects of nuclear disasters, etc.
