What is this page for?
Before you start your research, you need to create a narrow research topic or question that fits the scope of your assignment. Your professor may have given you an umbrella topic or a list of topics to choose from, but you will need to further narrow that topic into a research question. Turning your topic into a research question helps narrow and direct your research so you are only finding sources specific to what you need. You also need search terms that describe your topic so that you can use them to find sources for your topic. This page will help! You can also use the subpages you see when you hover over the "Getting started" tab to get more specialized knowledge in:
Narrowing Your Topic
One of the easiest ways to narrow your topic down is to brainstorm with 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 links below to create a concept map online.
If you're having trouble brainstorming with a concept map, try these tools for help!
- Topic Finder: Gale Opposing ViewpointsFeeling 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.
- Browse Issues: Gale Opposing ViewpointsThis is a list of hot topics that you can click on to get more information about that topic and further narrow what you want to focus on related to that topic.
Need more help? Take a look at the graphic below.
Get Research Help
Librarians are available in person at 3 different campuses during library hours. However, if you can't come to campus, we can help you online via our chat service! When you chat with a librarian, you are chatting live with a real BC faculty librarian, not a bot! We can help you brainstorm your research topic, find sources for your research, use the library databases, and more.
Chat hours are:
- Monday-Thursday: 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
- Friday: 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
- Saturday: 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
- Sunday: 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Chat with a librarian now by entering your information in the boxes below and hitting "Start Chat"!
- Research WizardNew to BC Library resources? Try the Research Wizard, an interactive guide to the best databases or resources for your research needs.