The Research Process - Subject Overview

Upon receiving a research assignment, read several encyclopedia or general reference works.

Suggestions include:

• World Book Encyclopedia (found in the LRC Reference Room)
• Online Encyclopedias found on NC LIVE (acronym for NC Library of Virtual Education) - accessed at http://www.nclive.org

For example, if a particular assignment involved the environmental issues in our National Parks, a student might browse and read both the "National Park" entry within World Book and an encyclopedia article found in Britannica Online, sponsored by NC LIVE.

While reading during the overview stage, jot down repetitive words and/or ideas. These will not only serve as keywords during the search stage, but will also help in the formation of an outline.