• Spend preliminary time jotting down ideas and questions
• Determine the level of information you need and the time limits of your project
• Continually refine your search as you go
• Save notes on your computer disk where possible
• Record the source of every fact or quotation
• Stop periodically to assess; write your thoughts on what you are discovering
• Stay open to discovery--allowing time for browsing and reflection

For example, if your topic is the mercury poisoning of fish, first figure out what it is you want to learn more about. Do you care most about the environmental aspects? Or are you more interested in the effects of mercury in humans who eat the fish? If you're new to the topic, you may want to read an article in an encyclopedia to get some background. Make a list of questions and then extract the keywords (terms) you'll need to look for. Have a significant list of keywords and their synonyms handy before turning to the keyboard.

In addition, list all the associated subject areas where you might find information (marine life, health and nutrition, seafood, oceans, lakes, water pollution, pesticides, industrial waste, contaminated streams, environmental cleanup, etc.). You can do a quick subject search with computers for background and the history of most topics.

If you know a great deal about your topic, write a brief summary for yourself. Identify the areas where you want more information. For example, you may already know the symptoms of mercury poisoning in otters, and you are looking for the connection to mercury levels in the fish supply. List the organizations, locations, and experts' names you already know; list the technical terms, including synonyms; then frame the questions.

If you have a vague idea of what you want to find, or a tiny point you need an answer for, you may need to discuss your project with a librarian or your teacher, or browse first either in the print library or on the Web to get some background, or even put the question to a newsgroup on the Internet (see Using Email [in "Searching the Internet for Other Sources"]).

Often it will be difficult to plan your project, or to know what direction it will take, until you do some exploring. But the assignment and your own level of expertise will give you a clue. What level of information do you require? A twenty-page paper needs much more detailed information and analysis than a five-page one. A paper on mercury poisoning of fish will be much more complex for a class in Advanced Marine Biology than for English 101.