5 basic steps for your academic research:
1) Select a topic: The success you have in writing a research paper begins with selecting a topic. If you choose a broad topic you will end up with too much information. If you pick a topic that is too narrow, you may not find enough information. One database that can help is Opposing Viewpoints. Watch this very brief video.
2) Choose Keywords: For example, if your topic is How do Student Loans Affect Wealth Inequality, you would not use the whole sentence. The keywords might be Student Loans and Wealth Inequality. Also find synonyms for your keywords. Watch this very brief video.
3) Choose a resource: It might be OneSearch on the Library home page, or a databases. Google might be best for some of your research. Watch this short video on How to Choose a Database.
A good multidisciplinary database to start with is Academic Search Complete. Watch this brief video.
4) Refine the results: Whether you use OneSearch or a database narrow your results according to publication date, location, subject, journal, etc, ...
For example, while a search for health care AND consumer behavior in OneSearch yields more than 500,000 results, a search for homelessness AND consumer behavior yields about 15,000. That still sounds like a lot, until you refine your search. How many of those sources are actually ABOUT homelessness (or health care) AND consumer behavior, as opposed to sources that just mention the keywords.
To find out: Use the filters on the left side of the results.
For example: Using the SUBJECT and PUBLICATION DATE filters...
And that's before filtering by Resource Type.
5) Cite your sources. Check this page for examples of common APA citations or watch this presentation on APA citations.