The ability to develop a good research topic is an important skill. An instructor may assign you a specific topic, but most often instructors require you to select your own topic of interest. When deciding on a topic, there are a few things that you will need to do:
Selecting a good topic may not be easy. It must be narrow and focused enough to be interesting, yet broad enough to find adequate information. Before selecting your final topic, make sure you know what your final project should look like. Each class or instructor will likely require a different format or style of research project.
Brainstorming
Choose a topic that interests you. Use the following questions to help generate topic ideas.
Write down any key words or concepts that may be of interest to you. These terms can be helpful in your searching and used to form a more focused research topic.
Be aware of overused ideas when deciding a topic. You may wish to avoid topics such as abortion, gun control, teen pregnancy, or suicide unless you feel you have a unique approach to the topic. Ask the instructor for ideas if you feel you are stuck or need additional guidance.
If you need help, try our Research Topic Guide for ideas.
Sometimes using a Concept Map can help you come up with directions to take your research.
Background or reference information can be found in:
These and other sources are often listed on our research guides.
1.) Read a general encyclopedia article on the top two or three topics you are considering.
Reading a broad summary enables you to get an overview of the topic and see how your idea relates to broader, narrower, and related issues. It also provides a great source for finding words commonly used to describe the topic. These keywords may be very useful to your later research.
If you can't find an article on your topic, try using broader terms and ask for help from a librarian.
2.) Once you have identified some keywords, the next step is to find background information on your topic. Background research:
Keep it Manageable. A topic will be very difficult to research if it is too broad or narrow. One way to narrow a broad topic such as "the environment" is to limit the topic. Some common ways to limit a topic are:
Example: What environmental issues are most important in the Southwestern United States?
Example: How does the environment fit into the Navajo world view?
Example: What are the most prominent environmental issues of the last 10 years?
Example: How does environmental awareness effect business practices today?
Example: What are the effects of air pollution on senior citizens? Remember that a topic may be too difficult to research if it is too:
Example: What sources of pollution affect the Gallia County water supply?
Example: How can the environment contribute to the culture, politics and society of the Western United States?
Putting the topic in the form of a question will help focus on what type of information you want to collect. If you have any difficulties or questions with focusing your topic, discuss the topic with your professor, or with the library staff. |
If you are finding too much information, your research topic may be too B R O A D. Consider narrowing it to a more specific:
Narrower Topic: How will climate change impact sea levels and the coastal United States? |
If you are finding too little information, your topic may be too NARROW, specialized, or current. Use these strategies to broaden your topic.
Broader: What are the negative effects of TV on children and adolescents? |
Keep track of the words that are used to describe the topic. This will help when searching in different databases, because not every author uses the same keywords to describe the same topic.
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The keywords you use can have a profound impact on the results of your research. Using the “right” words will speed up the research process, while the “wrong” words can bring to it to a halt. Before you can begin searching for information, you need to identify keywords related to your topic. Key terminology can be easily be found by scanning:
If you are still struggling:
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Use library resources to search for the articles, books, and other sources of information that you need.
Keep in mind the assigned length of the research paper, project, bibliography or other research assignment. Be aware of the depth of coverage needed and the due date. These important factors may help you decide how much and when you will modify your topic. You instructor will probably provide specific requirements, if not the table below may provide a rough guide:
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Boolean operators are connector words, such as AND, OR, and NOT, that are used to combine or exclude words in a search string for more focused results.
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Carefully Select Search Terms
Use Advanced Search Techniques
Evaluate Your Sources: The CRAAP MethodKnowing where information is coming from, who wrote it, and why they wrote it, is an important step in doing research. When you find a new source of information, especially on the Internet, ask yourself the following questions. Currency
Relevance or Coverage
Authority
Accuracy
Purpose
Although this list of questions is not exhaustive, do you feel confident that the information presented on the website you are evaluating is of use for you and your research? |
Types of ResourcesBelow is a list of the most commonly cited resources used for research.
Books and Ebooks
Encyclopedias & Handbooks
Government Websites Can be challenging to search and navigate to the information you need
http://www.google.com/unclesam |
Trade Journals
Articles are written and read by professionals in a specific industry.
Examples: Harvard Business Review, Chronicle of Higher Education
Popular Magazines
Articles are intended to casually inform, entertain, or present an opinion.
Examples: Time, Fortune, Vanity Fair
Newspapers
Published daily, newspapers are often the first to report a newsworthy story.
Examples: New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today
You have found sources you want to use in a paper or project, but how do you use them well? How does the source fit into the structure of your paper? Think about how each of your sources could add to your project with the following elements.
What could a writer do with this source? by (Kristin M. Woodward/Kate L. Ganski) / Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
Accurately documenting sources used for research is an important part of the writing and research process. Documentation is important because:
There are many citation styles but the most popular ones are:
We have guides available to use in the library, or you can see the staff at the Jenkins Center on campus as a quick resource.
The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) is also great for quick APA and MLA reference styles.
Keep track of Useful Sources as You Find Them
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Tutoring & Paper Writing Help in the Jenkins Center in Davis LibraryAdam Hollingshead at the Jenkins Academic Center on the Ground Floor of Davis Library. The Jenkins Academic Center offers assistance with writing and citing: Much of which may be done online. Email papers to jenkinscenter@rio.edu |
Taking Notes Electronically
#A5 p.35: 76.69% of the hyperlinks selected from homepage are for articles and the catalog
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Taking Notes by Hand
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Maybe you've never written a research paper. Maybe you didn't know what you were doing last time you wrote one. Maybe it's been a while and you've forgotten. No matter what the scenario is, we can help at every step of the way.
This guide will help you through the process of research, including picking a topic, focusing you topic, finding keywords, searching library resources, evaluating sources, and citing sources.
If you are having trouble at any point during the research process, please contact a librarian and we can help you.
Need Help or Need More?: Ask Us!