Decide on a topic for your research paper if one was not assigned to you. Choose a subject of interest, as you will be doing a fair amount of reading on the topic. State your topic as a question, to help guide your research.
Read various overviews of your topic online, or in encyclopedias. This gives you a starting point for your research, and helps to give your topic a focused and manageable scope. Take thorough notes throughout the research process.
Find books, media and periodical articles, using catalogs and indexes, at the campus library. If a source is particularly useful, find and read works referenced by the author of that source. Document all of your research using the documentation style prescribed by your professor.
Find Internet sources using search engines or subject directories on websites relevant to your topic. It is important to search in reliable domains when using Internet sources, such as .org, .gov and .edu.
Evaluate your sources in terms of quantity, diversity, publication dates, quality and reliability. Make sure that you have enough information from a variety of sources that have current, or historically relevant publication dates. Read reviews of the works, to judge quality. Pay attention to the credentials and potential biases of the author for each source.
Organize and review the information you have compiled -- to formulate a thesis or argument for your paper -- and begin the writing process.