Narrowing Your Topic

Think about your message… In your paper… WHAT are you going to SAY about your topic? or What QUESTIONS are you going to ANSWER about your topic?

And how are you going to do it… in just (how many ) pages?

Narrowing Strategy 1: Aspect Focus on a particular ASPECT of the topic: Not: Stress But: Causes of stress Stress PreventionCausesTreatmentPhysiologicalPrevelence

Narrowing Strategy 2: Time Focus on your topic during a particular TIME PERIOD Stress-related illnesses reported from 1990 to 2000

Narrowing Strategy 3: Type Focus on a specific TYPE or CLASS of people or things as they relate to your topic Stress in adolescents

Narrowing Strategy 4: Place Focus on a particular PLACE Stress reduction education in in Hawaii

StressDepression Narrowing Strategy 5: Add Two Topics Focus on the relationship between TWO DIFFERENT TOPICS Stress and depression

Now, a really big tip: COMBINE different kinds of focuses: The effectiveness of stress reduction education in preventing adolescent depression in Hawaii from Stress Stress reduction education Prevention Adolescents Hawaii Depression

Ok, maybe that’s going too far… Are you really going to find enough information about that? (Probably not)

But how about this… What can you SAY about… The relationship between stress and depression in adolescents? What QUESTIONS could you try to ANSWER about … The long-term effectiveness of stress reduction education?

A Review of Narrowing Strategies: Narrow your topic by focusing on: Aspect Time Type Place Its relationship with a second topic A combination of two or more of the above