This tutorial explains research, assignments, and library help at the college level.

Research at UW-Madison

UW-Madison is a world-class research institution, with thousands of people on campus performing original research and creating knowledge in a variety of subject areas. UW-Madison students are a part of this culture of research.

Rather than stating facts or reporting on what others have said, research at UW-Madison involves asking thoughtful questions, drawing original conclusions, and creating new knowledge on a topic. To be successful at UW-Madison, you’ll want to perform more in-depth research using a variety of information sources.

Research Assignment Characteristics

Many courses at UW-Madison include research assignments, which often have similar characteristics no matter which discipline you’re working in.

Many research assignments include:

• Developing a research or scientific question
• Reviewing a variety of sources about your topic
  • Researching historical, cultural, or biographical context that relates to your project
  • Finding relevant scholarly sources that relate to your research
• Raising additional questions about the topic based off of your initial research
• Completing an original experiment or analysis
• Compiling your research into a written, oral, or visual presentation

The Libraries Support Research at UW-Madison

As part of a major research library network, UW-Madison Libraries have access to millions of articles, books, primary sources, and other materials you will need for research and assignments. Many of these sources are not available through the free internet, but are accessible with your NetID through the library website.

Library staff at UW-Madison Libraries are another excellent resource. We help with access, use, and evaluation of the books, articles and other resources needed to produce research and class assignments.

No matter where you’re at in the research process, know that you can always ask a librarian!