MUS110-01 Introduction to Music Studies (Reader)

Research is a process of investigation or examination of a subject, thing, or idea from different points of views. 

You probably already do research every day when you Google something of interest and read a Wikipedia page. There are a few differences between the research you do on your own and the research you are expected to do at SUNY New Paltz. The first difference is that you're being graded. The second is that you have assignment guidelines and requirements that you need to follow. The third is that you have access to a wealth of specialized resources through the library that you pay for through tuition and fees. 

There are a few things I think you need to do research:

1. curiosity -  a strong desire to know or learn something
2. access to information - information tells us something about a topic and helps us draw conclusions or ask new questions. Information enables us to do research! Ex. newspapers, scholarly articles, social media, conversations, magazine articles, books, Youtube videos, and Wikipedia.
3. ability to evaluate information - assess the quality and reliability of information
4. ability to synthesize information - understand and combine different sources of information to create something new. 

Sometimes researching can be quite frustrating. Research is not linear - you may need to go back and try new search strategies.