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Choosing a Topic and Testing It
The first step in the research process is to choose
a topic. In some cases your instructor may assign a topic to you or
to your research group. Other times you may have the opportunity to
choose a topic from a list. The ideal situation is to be able to pick
a topic that interests you.
If you haven't chosen a topic yet, you may want to try 1) to discuss
your topic ideas with your class instructor, 2) discuss your topic
ideas with a reference librarian (you may want to set up an appointment,
if your project is lengthy), or 3) scan the following titles in the
Central Library's Reference collection or online: CQ Researcher
[CQ
Researcher online], Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial
Issues (various locations), and Editorials on File (Central
Ref. D 839 .E3). See also Keesing's Contemporary Archives (Central
Ref. D 410 .K4).
Another method is to look at the index and the article titles in a
specialized encyclopedia that covers the subject area or discipline
of your topic (for example, psychology, United States social history,
women's studies, linguistics, environmental studies, etc.). For help
locating an appropriate encyclopedia for your subject, consult a Reference
Librarian.
First state your topic or research idea as a question. For example,
if you are interested in finding out about the controversy surrounding
grade inflation in American colleges and universities, you might pose
the question, "How has grade inflation affected academic standards
in America's college and universities?"
Identify the main concepts or keywords in your question. In this case
they are: grade inflation, academic standards, colleges and universities,
students, grading, etc.
The next step in the process is to test the main concepts or keywords
in your topic by looking them up in the appropriate background sources
or by using them as search terms in the Acorn
Library Catalog and/or in periodical indexes.
If you are finding too much information and too many sources, narrow
your topic by using the "and" Boolean operator such as:
grades and inflation and standards and academic, for example.
Finding too little information may indicate that you need to broaden
your topic. For example, look for information on students, rather
than college students. Link synonymous search terms if you can. Using
truncation characters with search terms also broadens the search and
increases the number of items you find.
Once you have identified and tested your topic, you're ready to take
the next step and find background
information on your research topic.
Back
to Getting Started With Your Research main page.
Updated August 2002
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