Jumping head first into a research project is a surefire recipe for stress and confusion. But if you're a newbie, how do you know where to begin, let alone where to go from there? Library instruction expert McAdoo has penned a primer specifically tailored to novice researchers, offering beginning-to-end guidance for every step of the research process, from planning and preparing to conducting and writing. Structured in a way that's easy to digest, McAdoo shows students what research is and what it entails, the stages of research, and the elements of a term paper; the essential steps in preparing for research, and how to understand the assignment; how libraries and librarians can help; pointers for selecting a research topic and appropriate information tools; strategies for conducting searches that will save time and effort, from using keywords to constructing more sophisticated searches; how to understand, read, and evaluate search results; the dos and don'ts of conducting research ethically, including how to cite sources and how and why to avoid plagiarism; and guidance for shaping research results into quality writing. Students will appreciate the book's clear and concise language regarding the research process, while teachers, faculty, YA staff, and academic librarians will find it a valuable tool for information literacy.