Select a notebook to become your journal. Any basic book with blank, lined pages will do. Make sure it is big enough to accommodate all your research. By keeping your findings in one place, you will consolidate them and reduce the risk of not being able to find a source with key information.
Select a topic. Write down your initial ideas in the beginning pages of your journal. Write down any questions you may have about your topic that you want to discover the answers to. Make questions narrower and more specific as you move along. The more you focus your research, the more manageable the project will be.
Write down your findings after you visit the library or browse the Internet. Make sure you cite your sources: author, title, publisher, publication date and page numbers. This information is important if your research project is for an academic course, as you will likely be required to submit a bibliography. You might also need the information later to track down the sources of your information. The author could also be a valuable person to contact for a meeting.
Take note of other sources cited in your reading and write them down. You can document them to revisit at a later date, or you can use your notebook for immediate reference to these sources.
Use your journal to record your thoughts on the topic. Document what sorts of activities you have already pursued. Write down on a regular basis what you still need to do so that you can stay on track. Record your evaluations of the material you have read.
Keep your journal with you at all reasonable times, even when you're not working on the project. You never know when an idea might occur to you, so it is worthwhile to keep your research journal beside your bed.