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: Ice But: Psychological effects of ice ICE EconomicHistoricalPsychologicalPhysicalSocial

Narrowing Strategy 2: Time Focus on your topic during a particular TIME PERIOD Ice use between 1990 and 2000

Narrowing Strategy 3: Type Focus on a specific TYPE or CLASS of people or things as they relate to your topic Female ice users

Narrowing Strategy 4: Place Focus on a particular PLACE Ice use in Hawaii

IceUnemployment Narrowing Strategy 5: Add Two Topics Focus on the relationship between TWO DIFFERENT TOPICS Ice and unemployment

Now, a really big tip: COMBINE different kinds of focuses: Relationship between unemployment and the psychological effects of ice in women in Hawaii between Unemployment Psychological effects Ice Women Hawaii

Ok, maybe that’s going too far… Are you really going to find enough information about the relationship between unemployment and the psychological effects of ice in women in Hawaii between ? (Probably not)

But how about this… What can you SAY about… The relationship between ice use and unemployment in Hawaii from 1990 until the present What QUESTIONS could you try to ANSWER about … The psychological effects of ice use by teenage girls

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