1. Creating Subtopics

2. What are subtopics?
Subtopic headings are phrases that identify the sections of your paper or essay. It could be information that you have grouped together to help support your thesis.

3. How to find subtopics…. For example:
Say you have to do a project about local water pollution and you pick the Ala Wai Canal as a body of water to research. Your general topic in this case is “Ala Wai Canal Pollution".  

4. How to find subtopics….
First, you may have brain stormed some questions like the following:  
How much is the Ala Wai Canal polluted?
What causes pollution in the Ala Wai?
Does the government do anything to clean up the pollution?
How does the pollution in the canal affect plant or animal life in the ocean?
How does the pollution in the canal affect people?
Will the Ala Wai ever be safe enough to swim in?

5. Decide on some words or phrases that are common to groups of questions.
Example:
History
Background
Description
Causes/Effect
Consequences
Living Conditions

6. Next, you can identify and choose some categories these questions fit into, and select words that label those categories. It helps to think of these words as part of a phrase that includes your general topic. Keep reading and this will become more clear.  
Statistics How much is the Ala Wai polluted?  
Causes What causes pollution in the Ala Wai?  
Solutions Does the government do anything to clean up the pollution?  
Effects How does the pollution in the canal affect plant or animal life in the ocean?  
Effects How does the pollution in the canal affect people?  
Future Will the Ala Wai ever be safe enough to swim in?

7. Turn those words or phrases into specific subtopic headings.
On your brainstorm web write each subtopic heading and rewrite under it the questions that go with it. Now add any other new questions that come to mind under any of the headings.

8. Ala Wai Canal Pollution Counter Claim/Rebuttals:
Statistics:
How much is the Ala Wai Polluted?
Causes:
What caused the Ala Wai to get polluted?
Ala Wai Canal Pollution
Effects:
How does the pollution affect the ocean? People?
Future:
Will the Ala Wai Canal ever be safe enough to swim in?
Counter Claim/Rebuttals:

9. Begin to find evidence to support your thesis based on your subtopics
Begin to find evidence to support your thesis based on your subtopics. If you have formulated questions to be answered then you can begin to answer those questions in your research.

10. Sample Subtopics General Biographical Historical
History Method Description Style Equipment Rules/regulations Causes Effects Consequences Reasons For
Biographical
Childhood Education Family Life Early Career Later Career Obstacles
Historical
Background Biographical Information Place Description Living Conditions Battle Strategies Home front (during war) Peace Negotiations Ideology Working Conditions