Getting Started
Any topic of your choice can be overwhelming! You will need to narrow down all the possibilities to one specific topic.
Start by brainstorming what interests you. What are you passionate about? What would you like to learn more about?
One of the easiest way to brainstorm is to create a concept map. The idea is to put your umbrella topic in the middle and place a large circle around it. While you do background research you can start to fill in your map with subtopics. Think about the five W's (who, what, where, when, why). You may also want to consider time, location, area of study and genre.
You can either do your concept map on a piece of paper OR you can use free online tools that allow you to create them virtually. Check out the link below to create a concept map online:
Topic Finding: Gale Opposing Viewpoints
Feeling lost on your topic? Need subtopic ideas? Try out the Topic Finder on Gale Opposing Viewpoints. Type in your topics and immediately get ideas on how to narrow it to specific subtopics. Once you narrow down to a subtopic, you can then look at articles. Look at the screenshots below to learn how to find the Topic Finder feature.
Picking Your Topic IS Research
Narrowing Your Topics
Brainstorming Resources
- Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context
Use the encyclopedia entry at the top of every topic page to get some background information. You can also use the topic finder to get subtopic ideas (click advanced search and then topic finder) - CQ Researcher
Award-winning in-depth coverage of the most important issues of the day. Organized by reports that give a wealth of background information.
Books and encyclopedias are also a great place to go for background information. Check out the Finding Reference & Finding Books tabs at the top for more information.
Narrowing Your Topic
Examples of Narrowing Down Your Topic
Use the last column to help you develop your research question.
Research Question=the question your paper is trying to answer
Developing a Thesis Statement
Thesis Statement=your answer to your research question; your position on the topic; the main idea of the paper
A well-written thesis statement has two parts:
1.The answer to your research question (your position).
2.Your reasons.
EXAMPLE:
My research question= Should smoking be banned in public places?
Supporting Your Thesis
Developing Search Terms
Further Topic Narrowing Help
