Research Hub - Choosing a Topic: Home

Some tips on choosing your topic:

• Read the assignment requirements carefully.
• Choose something that you're interested in.
• Consider how others have written about your topic.
• Consider the scope of your topic - is it too broad or too narrow?

Research is a dynamic process so always be prepared to refine and adapt your topic as you go along.

Background research is one of the most effective ways to develop and refine your topic. Find out how you can use the library's reference tools to help with your background research in this video introduction...

Background research can help:

• Give you a better understanding of your broad topic
• Identify the various aspects of any topic and narrow in on a specific area of focus
• Identify key concepts and potential words/phrases you can use when searching
• Identify key authors or works related to your topic
• Locate bibliographies that lead to more sources

Reference sources are available online or in print. You can find useful reference sources for a range of subjects listed in our collection of Library Guides. Check out the complete list of Library Guides.

Also, check out the Useful Resources box of this guide for more suggestions.

Once you have a topic you'll need to turn this general topic into a specific research question. This question will guide your search and impact your search results. 

If the focus of your question is too broad you can easily get overwhelmed with the amount of information you find. 

If the focus of your question is too narrow you might struggle to find enough information to write a research paper. 

How can you narrow your topic?

One way is to ask questions: Who? What? Why? Where? When?. Check out the example below and use our Developing a Research Question worksheet to help you narrow your own topic.

For example: If your topic is "Eating disorders" you can refine it by asking these questions

Who?
Women, men, adolescents, college students, athletes etc.

What?
Anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, government legislation, public service announcements etc.

Where?
New York, United States, college campuses etc.

Why?
Advertising, media representations, peer pressure, psychological factors etc.

When?
Now, 20th Century, Victorian era, 1980s-present etc.

Using these questions, you could narrow your topic to:

Changes in treatment for binge-eating disorders from 1980s to the present.

Causes and treatments of bulimia in college athletes.

Choosing a topic can be one of the hardest parts of writing a paper. The resources listed here can help you:

• Brainstorm topic ideas
• Find background information on your topic
• Explore related concepts in order to refine your topic and create keywords for research
• Narrow or broaden your topic to formulate an appropriate research question

CQ Researcher

CQ Researcher includes reports that offers in-depth coverage of political and social issues, such as health, international affairs, education, the environment, technology and the U.S. economy..

Credo Reference

A reliable scholarly alternative to Wikipedia. As well as traditional encyclopedic entries, check out the 'mind-map' feature to explore related concepts within your topic.

Opposing Viewpoints in Context

A variety of reference materials and commentaries to help present different sides of controversial topics. Highly recommended for argumentative/persuasive research topics.

ProCon

A non-partisan, non-profit organization that presents pro and con arguments for a variety of political and social issues.

Freedom Forum Newspaper Front Pages

Over 750 front pages from local newspapers around the country that are updated daily. The Freedom Forum also has a range of other online resources that can help choosing a topic.