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Develop A Research Topic

This document provides guidance on developing a research topic. It advises generating topic ideas by choosing something interesting that has enough focus and available information. Free writing and asking questions can help identify potential topics. Topics should then be defined by focusing on a specific aspect that fits the paper requirements and interests the reader. Keywords and search terms are selected from the topic and expanded using synonyms and controlled vocabularies. Throughout the research process, sources should be tracked by consistently citing them in the chosen format.

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158 views4 pages

Develop A Research Topic

This document provides guidance on developing a research topic. It advises generating topic ideas by choosing something interesting that has enough focus and available information. Free writing and asking questions can help identify potential topics. Topics should then be defined by focusing on a specific aspect that fits the paper requirements and interests the reader. Keywords and search terms are selected from the topic and expanded using synonyms and controlled vocabularies. Throughout the research process, sources should be tracked by consistently citing them in the chosen format.

Uploaded by

fayo lemmy
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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http://library.uncfsu.

edu/reference/intro-to-library-research/develop-a-research-topic
Develop A Research Topic
Generate Topic Ideas
Select a topic that interests you. You are going to be working on it for awhile so
choose something interesting, with enough focus to be doable, but not so narrow
that you cannot find enough information to work with.
How do you decide what interests you?
Free write on your topic: set a time limit, 5 or 10 minutes, and write without
stopping, dont worry about editing or corrections. Write about what you know and
don't know about the topic. Begin by writing what you know then write question
what you know. How do you know this? Are sure that what you know is correct?
What other possibilities exist? What questions do you have about your topic? Do
more free writing on what you don't know. Read over what you have written. What
ideas have emerged? At this point you probably have a set of questions that you
can take to research sources and begin searching.
Ask questions about your topic:

What do I already know about this topic?

Who was involved in it? (inventor, victim, instigator, bystander)

Brainstorm on your topic: talk to your professor, classmates, and friends. Think
about your class discussions and reading assignments; did anything spark your
curiosity? Browse the Subject Guides in your subject area.
If the topic is a current event or social issue browse newspapers, general interest
magazines, and online sources such ashttp://publicagenda.org/
Define Your Topic
Researching a topic that is too broad or too narrow can turn into a very frustrating
experience. If your topic is too general, you will find an overwhelming amount of
information and will need to focus your topic. If your topic is too specific, you will
find very little information and will need to broaden it.
Focus your Research Topic:
When your professor assigns a research topic, it is often too large and general for
you to cover in a standard research paper. Consider the length of the assignment
and focus your research topic so that you can find the right amount of information
for the length of your paper. A good research topic is broad enough to allow you to

find plenty of material, but narrow enough to fit within the size and time constraints
of your paper.
The following example demonstrates how to focus a general topic:
Your professor assigns a paper A focused research topic would be
on
Genetics

Impact DNA testing has in law enforcement

Football and America

How ads portray football as an American


sport

How do you go from a general topic to a focused one?


Select an aspect of the topic that will interest you and your audience.
Make the topic narrow enough that you can cover it in the assigned number of
pages and timeframe.
Have a clear grasp of your professor's expectations for the assignment. If you are
confused, talk to your professor.
Reference books are good places to start your research when you know little about
a topic, when you need an overview of a subject, or when you want a quick
summary of basic ideas. They are also useful for discovering the names of
important people, and can familiarize you with the vocabulary of the field.
Encyclopedia articles are often followed by carefully selected bibliographies or lists
of references to other works, useful items to have as you begin looking for
additional information.
You can expand or focus a topic by adding or eliminating the:

Time Period year, decade, century

Specific Population male, female, adolescent, adult, species, nationality

Geographic county, state, region, country

Broaden a Research Topic


Sometimes a research topic is so specific that you cannot find adequate information
to fulfill the requirements of the assignment. In this case it is time to broaden your
topic. The techniques used to focus a general topic can also be used to expand a
narrow topic.

Use ideas discovered while you were generating topics to add to your topic. For
example, you could compare and contrast two ideas.
Use background research, found in reference books, to find a researchable topic.
If the topic is narrowed by a factor that can be broadened, such as time period,
specific population, or geography, expand the limiting factor. Go from a state to a
region or county. Go from a few years to a decade or longer.
Select Keywords to Use as Search Terms
Step 1. Identify the keywords and central ideas of your topic and write them down.
Step 2. List synonyms or alternate terms for your original keywords.

If one term retrieves too much or too little information, or irrelevant material
try a synonym.

The online catalog and databases may not recognize your original search
term, but may recognize a synonym or variation on the search term.

Step 3 Refine you search terms by using controlled vocabulary.

Controlled vocabulary terms are standardized terms that databases or


indexes use to organize information. Controlled vocabulary terms yield very
specific results. Most databases and indexes give users a way to look up their
controlled vocabulary terms by using the help or Search Tips

Library of Congress (LC) Subject Headings are the controlled vocabulary of


the library catalo

Using Search terms


Step 1. Identify keywords
from original topic and
research question

Step 2. Generate
synonyms for
keywords

Step 3. Look up controlled


vocabulary terms

Environmental protection

Conservation

Environmental policy
Environmental impact
analysis Conservation of
natural resources

Toxic Dumps

Pollution
Waste disposal

Pollutants

America's

America

America

Cities

American U.S.

United States

Towns

Urban cores
Inner cities
Land use -- urban
Capital cities

Keep Track of Sources


Have you ever found and lost an important source? To prevent sources from slipping
away note the citation information for a potential source as soon as you find it. Be
consistent in how you save citations and the format you use. Citing sources
accurately and in the citation style of your paper (APA, MLA) will save you time by
preparing you for the later stages of research paper writing: in-text citations and the
bibliography.
Suggestions for organizing notes and citations:

Open a Word document at the beginning of each research session and type in
citation information and other notes as you find them.

E-mail search results and copies of electronic journal articles to yourself.

Store all articles, citations, and notes related to the research paper in a single
folder or envelope.

Always write your name on diskettes, you could even include your phone
number.

Save more than one copy! Use your T drive and diskettes so that you have
saved a copy of your hard work in more than one place.

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