Brainstorm a quick outline prior to choosing books. This draft outline will be flexible -- you may find something in the books you use that you wouldn't have otherwise thought of -- but having a list of keywords and phrases will help you stay on track as you research your outline. This outline can be extremely basic: start with an introduction and conclusion and three main points in between. If you have a few ideas on topics you want included in your paper, jot them down where they seem appropriate without worrying too much about organization. Fill in the outline with keywords, not full thoughts. For example, under Point 1, George Washington's character, you might write: "honesty," "bravery" and "leadership."
Choose three to four broad key phrases relating to your outline's topic and do a search in your local or school library's online catalog. For example, if you are writing a history paper about Abraham Lincoln, appropriate keywords might be: "Abraham Lincoln," "U.S. Civil War," "emancipation," "slavery" and "U.S. presidents." Gather a stack of books relating to your topic. Don't be afraid to take more books than you think you might need.
Search the books' tables of contents for pages relating to your brainstormed key words. The more thorough the table of contents is, the more helpful the book will be in your research. Mark pages that will be helpful using sticky notes or strips of paper. Indicate on the note to what keyword the page is referring. If you find a book that seems particularly helpful, reserve it to check out from the library for later use.
Fill in your outline using information derived from your research. Take cues from how books are organized to fuel your own organization; as you see how authors have presented their information, you may get ideas on how to logically arrange your own.
Use e-books, when available. More and more libraries, as well as other online resources, are making full texts of books available in electronic format. This can speed up your research process tremendously, although a complete table of contents will still be the most time-effective method of finding information. Search functions on e-books will be particularly helpful for finding anecdotal evidence supporting minor points and for finding information in books with poor tables of contents.