Explore college sponsored online databases such as Academic Search Premier to ensure the research and critical articles you are reading are reputable. These databases are normally available through university or college library websites. However, these databases may require a password released only to currently enrolled students. The main advantage in these databases is in their sophisticated search engines that provide many options to help control the kind of articles that appear in a subject search. Contact the research librarian if you need special permission to access this powerful resource.
Limit your writing to the relevant material at hand by developing a working thesis statement. Research writing requires you have a clearly identified idea to express. Without a clearly defined thesis that can be summed up in a single sentence, the research process can quickly grow beyond your ability to control it. Spend time figuring out the goal of the essay before plunging prematurely into a field that may soon become a research drowning pool.
Double-dip when gathering sources. One of the easiest ways to discover other supporting material not generated directly from a database search is by consulting the works cited and bibliography pages of relevant essays you do find. With this ready list of sources, you can research by specific title in the database to turn up articles that might be overlooked in a general search.