*if used as a starting point in the research process, not your entire research process!
Regardless of what you may have been told in high school - Wikipedia is not* bad. It does not need to be avoided.
In fact, if used as a tool, Wikipedia can be a great method to gather background information and find resources and terms that will be beneficial for your research.
Google is a familiar tool but there are other options that will make collegiate-level research much easier (and professor-approved!). This infographic charts the pros and cons of Google, Google Scholar, and library databases. Each one is useful in its own way. This course guide will help make you more comfortable with doing non-Google research.
Created by McMaster University Library. Used under Creative Commons license. Original found at https://library.mcmaster.ca/research/how-library-stuff-works.
Visualizing the information in a resource can be beneficial to increasing your understanding. One of the easiest ways to do that is to use a word cloud. Word clouds can provide analysis of your own writing, as well as works you are studying. Clouds can help you determine the most frequently used words, helping with theme recognition.
Here's an example of a word cloud from the home page of this guide on wordclouds.com:
There are a number of free word cloud and visualization web sites. Here is a brief listing:
For further assistance analyzing your writing, contact the University of Iowa Writing Center.