Context is important. Before you begin to look for information on your topic, it is important to think about your research. What you already know about a topic, determines how deep you can dive into a subject area. Are you already well-versed in the field? If so, then perhaps you can go directly to the journal literature.
However, the journal literature is a technical literature for a technical audience and written in a specialized "voice" usually about something very specific. If you aren't a member of that technical audience (or are still aspiring to be a part of the technical audience by taking classes) then don't be frustrated. Instead, think about looking at some secondary synthesis, for example a review article or book on the topic. If the language has you stymied, then find yourself a dictionary. Once you are more familiar with the language and the context of the topic, then you can go back to the journal literature.
This sections introduces you to one illustration of The Scientific Literature -- just so you know how the different types of information relate to each other and have an appreciation of how information is disseminated and in what order.
As well, a flow chart is provided to illustrate the major steps involved. There is no "silver platter" when doing literature searches. It is an iterative process. It takes time but it is time well spent because good and relevant sources make the rest of your research that much easier.