Finding and Narrowing a Topic Unit 10: Research Strategies

Set a Goal and Brainstorm Possible Topics First, think about a few goals for your research. What is going to be the outcome of your research? In this case, it will be a research paper. Think about a few topics that might interest you. For this paper, you must be able to connect your topic to one of your current classes at Van Hoosen.

Guidelines for Choosing a Topic The topic should interest you. Sources for the topic should be easy to find. You should be able to discuss your topic in a few pages. If a whole book has been devoted to the topic, then it is too broad.

Learn About Potential Topics Good researchers do preliminary research, just like travelers who gather information about possible destinations. Today you will brainstorm three general topics that you might find interesting. You will want to do some preliminary research on each potential topic. Once you think you have narrowed it down to one topic, you must list three reliable sources that you have found for it. Doing this preliminary research today will help you narrow down your topic and choose a final topic over the weekend.

Narrowing a Topic A more specific topic is much easier to research than a broad topic. Your topic should be narrow enough to discuss in a few pages. If an entire book has been written on your topic, it is too broad for this assignment. You need to focus on one aspect of it. If preliminary research shows that it is too narrow, open it up a bit. Here is an example of a narrowed-down topic: Original Topic- too broad: The Civil War More Specific Topic: Drummer boys in the Civil War Even More Specific: What drummer boys did in the Civil War Too Specific: Whether drummer boys had music training