developing research topics

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Before You Start

• What do you already know about your subject? Keep a list of key words, names, and events.
• How long has your subject existed? Is it a relatively new concept with a lot published about it, or new and undiscovered?
• What discipline does your topic fall into? A discipline is an area of study or branch of learning (e.g., History, Biology). Each has its own best starting points.
• How are you viewing the topic? Think about what you are planning to emphasize: politics, history, or another aspect?
• What's the Timing? How long do you have to do this project? How long does it need to be?

Three Approaches for Developing a Topic

Approach #1: List Key Words of Interest Make lists of concepts and topics you find interesting, as well as lists of related words and synonyms. These can serve as your key search terms.

Approach #2: Draw It Out Sketch out the relationships between ideas.

Approach #3: Define it in Sentences Write an explanation of your topic, justifying it on multiple levels:

I am studying... conformity in Woolf’s Orlando in order to find out... how Orlando’s efforts to conform and fit in change over time in order to help my reader understand... the role maturity and self-awareness play in the character’s efforts to conform to societal norms.

Adapted from The Craft of Research (2003) by Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams. (We also own the latest edition, 8th edition, 2016 , in print.)

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Develop Research Topics

• Getting Started
• The Research Cycle
• Exploring Topic Ideas
• Narrowing/Broadening Your Focus
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What to expect from this guide

Hello! This guide will help you discover topic ideas and develop them to fit your assignment. It includes advice on:

• Finding an interesting and appropriate topic for your research
• Testing your idea's potential sources of information
• Knowing when to narrow or broaden the focus of your research topic

Tips to keep in mind

Picking a topic is often the most challenging part of doing research. The stakes seem very high: pick a "bad" topic and the rest of the research process will be difficult. But with so many topic ideas out there, how do you choose one that is right for your assignment? This guide will cover the basics, but keep in mind these pointers:

• Is the topic appropriate for the assignment? If your paper is meant to be 4 pages long, picking an enormous, broad topic won't work. And if you're in a medieval history class, a paper on social media would present a challenge. Talk to your professor about your topic ideas to make sure you are on the right track.
• Are you able to make an argument? The topic "is smoking bad for your health?" would be difficult because there is no argument to make (the science is pretty conclusive that yes, it's bad for your health).
• Do you care about your topic? If you pick a random topic just to get the assignment over with, it will be painful to go through the research process. However, if you pick something that interests you, it will be much more enjoyable.
• Next: The Research Cycle >>
• Last Updated: Dec 18, 2024 9:47 AM
• URL: https://guides.library.vcu.edu/develop-research-topics

TGC: The Roadmap to Research

• Welcome to Research!
• 1. Introduction to Research
• Overview of Reading
• Navigating the Library Website

Developing Keywords

Constructing a search string.

• Preliminary Research
• Find Sources
• Evaluate Sources
• 3. Find Sources
• 4. Evaluating Sources

2: Developing Your Topic

The first three steps of research are about developing your topic and research question:

• Develop a Topic
• Conduct Preliminary Research
• Formulate a Research Question
• Evaluate your Sources

Developing a focused topic and research question will make your research process easier and faster. 

Watch (11 minutes):

• Navigating the Jenks Library's Homepage (4:08)
• Developing Keywords (3:13)
• Constructing a Search String (3:38)

Read (3 minutes):

Importance of preliminary research, do (~30 minutes - 1 hour):.

• Search String Discussion (3-5 minutes)
• Preliminary Research (~30 minutes - 1 hour)

End Goal: 

After completion of Section 2 on your journey through the Roadmap to Research, you will be able to:

• Select keywords from a research question and write them as a search string in order to apply them in a search in a library resource.
• Refine and narrow your topic based on search results from your preliminary research.

Navigating the Jenks Library Website

Jenks Library allows you access to all forms and topics of information. Using the library website, you can start to conduct your research at Gordon.  Watch the video below  to familiarize yourself with the important parts of the library website and learn how you can easily get connected to information and help.

Keywords are the foundation of your research process. In the video below we’ll learn how to identify keywords in a research question and how to use them in your search.

Now that we know how to identify keywords from our research questions, let’s learn how to combine them effectively. Combing these keywords creates a search string, this is an important step in retrieving valid information on the right subject. Watch the video below to learn more:

Before you form your research question, you need to do a first round of research, or preliminary research. 

The  goals  of preliminary research are:

• See if your topic is too broad or too narrow
• Identify keywords and vocabulary to create better searches
• Identify the sides of your issue (there are often more than two!)
• See what research questions are already being investigated

Your  sources  for preliminary research can include:

• Magazines & Newspapers (like the ones on display in the Bistro!)
• Informally consulting experts (like talking with a professor in the field of your topic)
• Wikipedia, or other encyclopedias available through the library:

Part of preliminary research is  narrowing down your topic  so that you aren't overwhelmed by too much information. Here are some ways to  narrow down your topic :

• Privacy: password control, GPS tracking
• Limiting screen time and social media
• Parental use of phones during family time
• Viewpoint (social, legal, medical, ethical, political, economic)
• Time period
• Population (age group, ethnic groups, nationality, education level)
• Place (country or region)

Tip:  Your topic may change significantly after preliminary research. This is normal! It is better to adjust your topic now than after you've started your research notebook or first draft.

Navigate back to Canvas to submit the Search String Discussion and Preliminary Research.

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• Last Updated: Dec 20, 2024 2:58 PM
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• Getting Started with Research

How to pick a topic

Where to find topic ideas, how to narrow down a topic.

• Doing Pre-Research
• Determining Your Research Needs
• Back to Research Help

Research Help Quick Links

• Choosing the Right Research Tool
• Searching for Sources
• Evaluating Sources
• Accessing and Using Sources

If you're trying to select a topic to write about, be sure the topic you select:

Matches the assignment.

For example, if you're to write a process paper for English composition, be sure your topic is an actual process someone can do.  That's a different type of topic than what you would choose for an informative/expository paper in which you'd explain about something or inform your reader.

Fulfills all required elements of the assignment.

• Required length
• Required number and types of sources
• Specific sections, such as application or evaluation or comparison

Is something you're interested in learning.

It does not need to be a topic on which you're already well informed.  The purpose of college is for you to learn new things, so let your writing assignments help you to do just that!

Is something for which you can find credible sources of information.

• Your sources should shape and support your theories, arguments, or conclusions.
• Personal opinions need to be supported with facts and statistics.  Otherwise, you're just an opinionated person rather than a well-informed writer.
• If your topic is too new or too obscure, you may have difficulty finding enough sources to support your paper.
• VIDEO: How to Select a Topic
• Wikipedia shouldn't be used as a scholarly source while writing your paper, but it can be a great place to find a good overview of a topic's basic definitions and help you build a foundation of knowledge.
• You can also use Wikipedia to find relevant information. The See also section near the end of the article may also have topics relevant to your research, as well as the What links here page, which you can find on the left sidebar. This information can help you broaden or narrow your topic as needed.

Library Databases

CQ Researcher provides a balanced view of today's most pressing social, political, and economic issues. Each weekly report covers the given topic in a non-sensationalized manner, and many reports feature a pro/con debate, highlighting both sides of the argument. 

Pick your research topic here! Select from more than 200 topics and get overview, pro and con, and critical analysis essays to start you out right. Also includes scholarly and popular journal articles, book chapters, biographies, and images.

When your research topic is too broad, ask yourself these questions:

Let's look at an example..

Topic: Crime or criminal activity.

Who : Populations such as... age, gender, race or ethnicity

      New topic idea: Criminal activity in white males

      New topic idea: Criminal activity in older females

What : Types of criminal activity

      New topic idea: Murder tendencies in white males

      New topic idea: Theft tendencies in older females

When : Time frames such as... current or historical, period of life

      New topic idea: Rum runners in the 18th century

      New topic idea: Crimes rates during the COVID pandemic

Where : Places, such as... states, regions, countries

      New topic idea: White collar crimes in New York City

      New topic idea: Pick-pockets at tourist attractions

Why : Evaluate... causes, treatments, outcomes

      New topic idea: Successful methods for preventing home invasion

      New topic idea: Rehabilitation of criminals who have committed murder

Combine any number of elements from these questions until you find an interesting topic to research. For very narrow topics, combine elements from at least three of these questions. If you find your topic becomes too narrow, eliminate an element.

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• Next: Doing Pre-Research >>
• Last Updated: Oct 24, 2024 2:23 PM
• URL: https://guides.rasmussen.edu/gettingstartedwithresearch

How to Do Research: A Step-By-Step Guide: Step 1: Develop a Topic

• Get Started
• 1a. Select a Topic
• 1b. Develop Research Questions
• 1c. Identify Keywords
• 1d. Find Background Information
• 1e. Refine a Topic
• 2a. Search Strategies
• 2d. Articles
• 2e. Videos & Images
• 2f. Databases
• 2g. Websites
• 2h. Grey Literature
• 2i. Open Access Materials
• 3a. Evaluate Sources
• 3b. Primary vs. Secondary
• 3c. Types of Periodicals
• 4a. Take Notes
• 4b. Outline the Paper
• 4c. Incorporate Source Material
• 5a. Avoid Plagiarism
• 5b. Zotero & MyBib
• 5c. MLA Formatting
• 5d. MLA Citation Examples
• 5e. APA Formatting
• 5f. APA Citation Examples
• 5g. Annotated Bibliographies

Developing a Topic

Developing a good research question can sometimes be the most difficult part of the research process. If you are struggling, follow the links below.

• Select a topic
• Develop research questions
• Identify keywords
• Find background information
• Refine your topic

Choosing a Topic - Video Overview

Video has been posted with permission from Pfau Library, California State University-San Bernardino.

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• Last Updated: Oct 23, 2024 1:07 PM
• URL: https://libguides.elmira.edu/research

Step By Step Research Guide

• Developing Your Topic
• Search Strategies
• Find Your Sources This link opens in a new window
• Evaluating Your Sources
• Using Your Sources
• Avoiding Plagiarism
• Citing Your Sources This link opens in a new window
• Writing Help This link opens in a new window

Databases for Topic Selection and Background Research

• Opposing Viewpoints in Context This link opens in a new window Essays, magazine articles and statistics on contemporary controversial issues. Full text.
• AccessScience This link opens in a new window Online full-text version of the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology.
• Credo Reference This link opens in a new window Credo is an easy-to-use tool for research projects and homework. Search in hundreds of encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri, quotations, and subject-specific titles, as well as 200,000+ images and audio files, and 1100+ videos. Use this instead of Wikipedia.

Develop a Topic

• Select a Topic
• Develop a Research Question
• Identify Keywords
• Finding Background Information

Choosing the right topic is crucial before you begin researching or writing your assignment. To make sure you understand the parameters, ask yourself:

• What topic options do I have? Is one assigned or can I choose my own?
• What is the length requirement in pages or word count? How long should my presentation be?
• Are certain sources required like scholarly journals or books?
• What's the due date? How much time do I have to research thoroughly?
• Does my topic need current information or will older sources work?

If you have any doubts, touch base with your instructor for clarification. Selecting an appropriate, focused topic from the start will set you up for success.

For help finding a topic that interests you, here are some sources that you can use to generate topic ideas:

• Books and textbooks - Check the table of contents, index, and chapter titles.
• Library databases - SIRS Knowledge Source, CQ Researcher, and FACTS on File offer abundant topic options.
• Magazines and newspapers - Skim summaries, first and last paragraphs of articles.

Browsing your textbook's table of contents or a related book's can spark paper ideas. Library databases like SIRS and CQ Researcher have topic collections perfect for initial brainstorming. Additionally, magazine and newspaper articles can provide inspiration through their summaries and key paragraphs. Reviewing these sources broadly at first can help identify possibilities to then narrow down your focus.

Please use the tutorials below and the databases listed to the side to help guide your topic exploration.

Once you have an initial topic idea, you can refine it using the "Topic + Question + Significance" formula from Kate Turabian's A Student's Guide to Writing College Papers :

TOPIC: I am exploring [your topic] ,

QUESTION: because I want to find out [key question] ,

SIGNIFICANCE: so I can help others understand [why it matters] .

Turabian suggests using this structure to test and focus your question, but do not include it word-for-word in your paper (p. 13).

Remember: The shorter your assignment length, the narrower your topic focus should be. Stuck? Consider:

• What specific subgroup of the topic can you concentrate on? Certain people, places, times?
• Is there a cause-and-effect relationship to delve into?
• Does your topic have an aspect not yet thoroughly addressed in research?

Honing in on a clear, manageable question will set you up to succeed.

The tutorial below can provide a more in-depth overview as well as give you examples of good research questions.

Choosing effective keywords is crucial when researching, as they directly impact your results. The "right" keywords will accelerate your search, while the "wrong" ones can bring it to a standstill.

Before searching, pinpoint key terminology for your topic. You can easily identify relevant keywords by looking at:

• Your research questions
• Articles found during initial research
• Bibliographies from books and articles

If you're still struggling to find keywords:

• Use a thesaurus to find synonyms
• Describe related images to generate terminology
• Brainstorm with a librarian, instructor, or friend

Taking time to identify precise keywords will get your research off to a strong start and lead you to the best sources.

The worksheet below will give you a place to take notes as you develop your keywords and the tutorial can provide a more thorough overview and examples for you to use.

Conducting background research is invaluable when starting a new topic. It:

• Gives an overview if the topic is unfamiliar
• Reveals key facts like terminology, dates, events, history, organizations, etc.
• Allows refinement of the topic focus
• Leads to bibliographies with additional sources

Thorough preliminary research provides critical context, reveals the scope of information available, and uncovers sources to propel further investigation. Taking time on this groundwork leads to more informed topics and effective searching.

The databases to the side will help you find the background information and the tutorial below can help give you more information about this process.

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• Last Updated: Nov 6, 2024 9:59 AM
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Get It Done Guide to Undergraduate Research

• Welcome to UMD Libraries!
• Topic Development
• Research Keywords
• Creating a Research Question
• Search Strategies
• Search @ UMD Libraries
• Source Types
• Media Literacy Toolkit
• Citation Styles
• Using Library Resources
• Campus Resources

Research Topic Development

Congratulations on receiving your assignment! Before you toss out that page or skip to the next module, take a moment to look through the assignment guidelines. Professors may require a certain number of sources or source types , a certain database to be used, or you may be given a shortlist of pre-selected sources.

Let's take a look at the topic development process:

• brainstorming your topic
• obtaining background information
• exploring the 5 Ws
• developing some keyword research
• creating a research question or statement

These are some of the steps you'll go through when developing your research topic; we'll be covering the first three on this page. It's important to note that you may not follow the steps in this exact order or that you may go back and forth between some steps. However, touching on each step at least once will allow you to develop a well-rounded research topic and question / statement.

Brainstorming Your Topic

Take a look at the assignment guidelines and write down a few topics you'd be interested in exploring. We are going to use those topic ideas to see which one you find the most interesting and will also work best for your assignment guidelines.

If you need help coming up with topics, try some of these ideas:

• look at news sources
• pull ideas from course readings or topics listed in your syllabus
• consider personal interests and how they tie to your class topic
• check out these sources for background research to see what topics interest you: Opposing Viewpoints ,  CQ Researcher
• look through UMD databases by topic (in the "All Subjects" dropdown tab, select a subject area of interest to find relevant databases) 

Once you've pulled together a few ideas (no more than three), consider the following questions for each:

• what do you already know about your topic?
• what are you hoping to learn or explore about your topic?

Brainstorming Tools:

• Topic Finder / Term Clusters from Gale In Context

Use the concept mapping document below to plan out your potential topics

Obtaining Background Information

Now that you have a few topic ideas, we are going to do some quick exploration to make sure you have enough sources, and the right sources, to write about your topic.

Spend some time in our databases searching your topic, as well as exploring our subject specific resources  to see related LibGuides, databases and subject librarians.

Once you've glanced over a few articles, take some time to reflect on the following questions:

• what are some trends, issues, or current problems being discussed in regards to your topic?
• which of those are you most interested in?
• what questions do you have about this issue?
• what are some keywords or phrases that were repeated or came up often?

We've linked a few databases below to get you started exploring topics:

• CQ Researcher Full-text database that provides comprehensive analysis of each topic, including history and background information, relevant pro & con arguments, current status, bibliographies, contact information, and outlooks on upcoming "hot topics" in current events. NOTE: These are not academic articles but pages providing background information. Explore the linked citations for potential scholarly or popular sources that you can cite.
• Sage Reference Collection Online versions of published reference works from SAGE, also called CREDO Reference. A great place to begin your research.

Multi-disciplinary database providing information for nearly every area of academic study. Includes an enormous collection of the most valuable peer-reviewed full text journals, as well as additional journals, magazines, newspapers and books. Multidisciplinary subjects including: social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, physics, chemistry, language & linguistics, arts & literature, medicine, ethnic studies. 1965- present.

On the following page, we will be Exploring the 5 Ws and Research Keywords.  These topics are important in developing your research topic because it will add depth to your paper and allow you to discuss or counter-argue various arguments within your paper. After that, we'll also be discussing how to develop your research question.

Next Page: Explore the 5 Ws & Research Keywords

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• Last Updated: Sep 24, 2024 12:55 PM
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Developing Research Topics: Focus Your Research

Focus your research.

• Choosing a Topic
• Developing a Topic
• Finding a Source
• Real Life Example
• Blank Worksheet This link opens in a new window

It may sound contradictory, but a specific topic is easier to research because you won't have to plow through huge piles of general information.

Use this guide to help you develop research topics. You may choose any section by clicking on the appropriate topic from the tabs along the top of the page.

Subject Guide

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• Last Updated: Sep 25, 2024 1:44 PM
• URL: https://researchguides.austincc.edu/devltopic