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Step 1: Choose & Develop a Topic

CHOOSE A TOPIC

 

Get topic ideas:

CQ Researcher: Contains reports on current events and issues.

Opposing Viewpoints in Context: Provides pro/con discussions of hot topics, along with supporting material.

Idea Generator (from Old Dominion University): Browse through a variety of paper topics. 

Also:

• Discuss ideas for your paper with your course instructor.
• Discuss ideas for your paper with a librarian. If your topic is detailed or obscure, set up a research consultation in advance. Call 321-3432 to make an appointment.
• Look at books like: ARCO 10,000 Ideas For Term Papers, Projects, and Reports R371.3 L35

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FOCUS YOUR TOPIC
 

NARROW your topic if it's too general. Limit your topic by focusing on a particular aspect: timeframe (the first year of the war) category of people (plantation owners, slaves, factory workers, etc. specific event (Battles at Appomatox, Antietam, etc.) place (Memphis, the South, Appalachia, etc.) Another solution is to add another topic to your original topic. For instance: "music and the Civil War" or "religion and the Civil War"

B R O A D E N your topic if it's too specific. For instance, you might have trouble finding information about hazing in Southern fraternities. Quick fix? Expand your topic. Do this by: looking for parallels and wider categories (peer pressure among college students) choosing an alternate focus (drug and alcohol use instead of hazing) choosing an alternate place (the entire United States instead of the South) choosing an alternate person or group (fraternities and sororities, young adults, etc.)

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DEVELOP KEYWORDS

 

Step 1: List the key concepts that describe your topic (look at words in your essay question or research topic).

Example:

• If this is your question: Describe the different variations of the Cinderella story that exist across cultures.
• Then these are your keywords: cinderella, variations, cultures

Step 2: List synonyms or related terms (check an encyclopedia to find related terms, and a thesaurus to find synonyms).

Keyword
Cinderella	→	related terms	←	fairy tales, folk tales
variations	→	synonym	←	versions
cultures	→	related term	←	multicultural

TIP: While doing your research, keep a list of keywords and related terms handy. Try different combinations of words in your searches, and you'll get better results.