Find books. Check through both your school and local library's online database to find books on the topic you are looking for. You can use a subject, keyword or author search.
Search through your findings. Check out the results in person and choose the books that best highlight what you are looking to research. The date of the publications should also be taken into consideration before checking them out.
Take into consideration any books given out or suggested by your professor for the topic of the paper. Other reliable sources for generic information are dictionaries and encyclopedias.
Search the Internet for information. The Internet is a vast pool of knowledge, if you know where to look. Anyone can create a website and begin stating that certain things are right or wrong when the opposite is true. Use your own judgment when determining what websites have a reliable source of information.
Use official websites. Many official websites of newspapers, government websites or official organization websites can usually be taken as fact when researching. Steer clear of unofficial websites such as blogs or opinion websites unless your paper specifically calls for opinion pieces.
Exercise caution when using open encyclopedias with user-generated content. Many colleges frown upon the use of such articles since it is an open source which anybody with an account can change. Not all of the information found within its pages may be accurate.
Fact check user-generated information by checking the references for each article. Click on the reference you want to quote and read through the source article. One you have confirmed the article is accurate, source the article instead of the user-generated encyclopedia. It is important that you fact check all sources when using an open encyclopedia to avoid handing in misinformed papers.