LibGuides: EN3070 Guide: Week 1: Choose a Topic

Choose a Topic

Choosing a Topic
This tutorial will explain how to select a topic and narrow it down, if needed.

Find a Topic

Points of View Reference Source This link opens in a new window
This database contains many core topics, each with an overview (objective background / description), point (argument), and counterpoint (opposing argument).

Britannica's ProCon.org
Britannica provides pros and cons on debatable issues, with well-researched information on those issues.

Gale EBooks This link opens in a new window
Gale EBooks is a database of encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research.

Explore Your Topic

Before you develop your research topic or question, you'll need to do some background research first.

Some good places to find background information:

Your textbook or class readings
Encyclopedias and reference books
Credible websites
Library databases

Refining Your Topic
Learn strategies for selecting and refining your topic by narrowing or broadening it, and how to control the number of results by adding or removing search terms.

Refine Now that you've done some background research, it's time to narrow your topic. Remember: the shorter your final paper, the narrower your topic needs to be. Here are some suggestions for narrowing and defining your topic:

Is there a specific subset of the topic you can focus on?
Is there a cause and effect relationship you can explore?
Is there an unanswered question on the subject?
Can you focus on a specific time period or group of people?

Describe and develop your topic in some detail. Try filling in the blanks in the following sentence, as much as you can:

I want to research ____(what/who)____

and ____(what/who)____

in ____(where)____

during ____(when)____

because ____(why)____.