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Choosing a Topic
Choosing the right topic can be the trickiest part of the research process. You need to consider
the teacher's assignment, your interests, and what resources are available.
It involves thinking about WHAT you want to write and is the beginning of a
dialog you will have with yourself throughout the research project.
What do the above limitations mean?
Your teacher might assign you a topic or might ask you to choose one. Your topic might describe
an event or a process, but the best topics are ones that present a thesis. To develop your
thesis consult sources in the Reference section.The thesis then allows you to look up the key
concepts.
Other limitations are inherent in the type of assignment you are given.
Look at the following questions developed by the Duke University Libraries
http://www.lib.duke.edu/libguide/choosing.htm
What kind of assignment do you have to complete? (e.g., 5 minute oral presentation,
10 page paper, 50 page paper)
How much information do you need?
Is currency important?
What types of publications do you need to read? (newspaper articles, books, journal articles,
diaries, trade publications, etc.)
What formats do you need? (visual, audio, printed, electronic)
Is point of view an issue? Do you need opinions?
How much time do you have?
What interests you? The more you know about a subject, the easier it is to find something
interesting. Use your textbook, your class discussions, and your library to help you find
a topic that you would like to explore in greater depth.
The library offers many resources on a huge array of topics. During this initial stage,
it is helpful to look up resources in the Reference section, which can offer you concepts
to use as keywords in your searches of indexes and search engines.
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