SCC Research Guides: Information Literacy In Real Life (IL IRL): Real-Life Research Skills

Real-Life Research Skills

In college, you are going to be asked to do research in a few of your classes. You’ll have to choose a topic, find sources, write a paper or prepare a presentation, and cite your sources. You may be wondering why you need to write so many research papers or do presentations in your different classes; most jobs aren't going to ask you to write a formal research paper once you've graduated from SCC.

While you probably won’t be writing formal research papers, like you do in college, once you get a job after graduation, you will most likely still need to do research as part of your job. Research is going to look different depending on the job you have, but you will still need to decide what to research, look up credible sources, prepare to explain your research to others, and cite where you found your sources. Some examples of research on the job could be:

Researching new software to purchase for your company and presenting your supervisor with recommendations for the best one to buy.
Looking up and implementing new techniques for fixing a car.
Researching new methods and strategies for teaching elementary school students about science.

The research skills you learn at SCC can prepare you to do research on any of those topics!

You will probably also use the research skills you learn in college in your life outside of school or work. Some examples of times you may do real-life research:

Buying a car or a house.
Looking up information to see which candidate you want to vote for.
Looking up information regarding your health to discuss with a medical professional.

Check out the image below to see how you would follow the same steps in writing a research paper as you would if you were buying a car.

The image above depicts a chart detailing how you would follow the same steps in writing a research paper as you would if you were buying a car.

First, you would start by choosing a topic for your paper based on your class assignment. Similarly, when buying a car, you would choose the type you would be interested in purchasing.

Second, you would need to find sources for the topic of your paper. You can use library databases and the library catalog to do more research and learn about your topic. This process is just like when buying a car; you would look up the specifications for the car you were interested in, read reviews, and talk to friends who might also own the same car.

Third, after you’ve found all the sources you’ll need, you’ll begin writing your paper. Make sure to incorporate the information you’ve learned from your sources to prove your main point. Likewise, when you’re finished your research on the car you’d like to purchase, you’ll visit a car dealership and talk to a salesperson about the car you’re interested in.

Lastly, make sure to cite your sources and give credit to the books and articles you used when writing about your paper’s topic. Comparably, when you’re at the car dealership, and discuss with a salesperson about the research you did before purchasing your desired car.