The Research Process: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Introduction
- Select Topic
- Identify Keywords
- Background Information
- Develop Research Questions
- Refine Topic
- Search Strategy
- Evaluate Sources
- Primary & Secondary Sources
- Types of Periodicals
- Organize / Take Notes
- Writing & Grammar Resources
- Annotated Bibliography
- Literature Review
- Citation Styles
- Paraphrasing
- Privacy / Confidentiality
- How to Read Research Article
- ChatGPT and the Research Process
Use Wikipedia in your academic research to help you choose a topic, gather background information, refine your topic, locate key terms to narrow or broaden your search, and locate credible sources.
Is Your Topic Too Narrow?
If you are not finding enough information, your topic may be too narrow. Consider broadening it by:
- Exploring related issues
- Comparing or contrasting the topic with another topic
- Choosing an alternative topic that is not so recent -- it may not be covered in books and journal articles yet
- Considering the time period covered
- Broadening the population considered
- Expanding the geographic area discussed
- Choosing an alternative topic that is not so popular -- it may be covered in popular magazines and tabloids only
Narrow a Topic
Narrowing a topic requires you to be more specific about your research interest and can help you to develop a thesis.
Questions to Narrow Your Topic
- Who? Who is the specific person/group to which you would like to limit your research?
- What? What specific aspect of the broad topic idea is interesting to you?
- Where? To which specific geographic area or region would you like to limit your research?
- When? On what time period would you like your research focused?
- Why? Why do you think this is an important/interesting topic?
What is a Thesis Statement?
A thesis is typically a one sentence statement in the first paragraph, or beginning, of your project that states your purpose. Thesis statements should be arguable, specific, detailed, and meaningful.
Additional resources for help in developing a thesis statement:
Developing a strong thesis statement - Purdue OWL
Developing a thesis - Harvard College Writing Center
Broad Topic: Global warming
Narrower Topic: How will climate change impact sea levels and the coastal United States?
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Narrow Topic: Does cartoon viewing cause violent behaviors in children under the age of five?
Broader Topic: What are the negative effects of television viewing on children and adolescents?
Helpful Handout :: Narrowing Your Topic
- Narrowing Your Topic
This handout illustrates how a research question develops from a broad topic to a focused question.
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- Next: Step 2: Locate Information >>
- Last Updated: Nov 5, 2024 3:45 PM
- URL: https://westlibrary.txwes.edu/research/process
Research Topics: How to Select & Develop: Refining a Research Topic
- Understanding the Assignment
- Choosing a Research Topic
- Refining a Research Topic
- Developing a Research Question
- Deciding What Types of Sources You Will Need
- Research Help
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Research is a dynamic process. Be prepared to modify or refine your topic. This is usually the sign of thoughtful and well-done research. Usually researchers start out with a broad topic before narrowing it down. These strategies can help with that process.
Brainstorm Concepts
Think of words or concepts that relate to that topic. For example, if your topic is "polar bears," associated words might include: ice, cubs, pollution, hunting, diet, and environmental icon.
Make a Concept Map
Create a visual map your topic that shows different aspects of the topic. Think about questions related to your topic. Consider the who, what, where, when, and why (the 5 W's).
For example, when researching the local food culture, you might consider:
- Why do people buy local?
- What specific food items are people more likely to buy local and why?
- What are the economic aspects of buying local? Is it cheaper?
- Do people in all socio-economic strata have access to local food?
This short video explains how to make a concept map:
Source: Douglas College Library
You can make a concept map by hand or digitally. Below is a link to a free online concept mapping tool:
- Bubbl.us Free tool for building concept maps.
Consider Your Approach or Angle
Your research could, for example, use a historical angle (focusing on a particular time period); a geographical angle (focusing on a particular part of the world); or a sociological angle (focusing on a particular group of people). The angle you choose will depend largely on the nature of your research question and often on the class or the academic discipline in which you are working.
Conduct Background Research
Finding background information on your topic can also help you to refine your topic. Background research serves many purposes.
- If you are unfamiliar with the topic, it provides a good overview of the subject matter.
- It helps you to identify important facts related to your topic: terminology, dates, events, history, and names or organizations.
- It can help you to refine your topic.
- It might lead you to bibliographies that you can use to find additional sources of information on your topic.
Reference sources like the ones listed below can help you find an angle on your topic and identify an interesting research question. If you are focusing on a particular academic discipline, you might do background reading in subject-specific encyclopedias and reference sources. Background information can also be found in:
- dictionaries
- general encyclopedias
- subject-specific encyclopedias
- article databases
These sources are often listed in our Library Research Guides .
Here are some resources you may find helpful in finding a strong topic:
- I-Share Use I-Share to search for library materials at more than 80 libraries in Illinois and place requests.
- Wikipedia Get a quick overview of your topic. (Of course, evaluate these articles carefully, since anyone can change them). An entry's table of contents can help you identify possible research angles; the external links and references can help you locate other relevant sources. Usually you won't use Wikipedia in your final paper, because it's not an authoritative source.
- Gale Virtual Reference Library Reference eBooks on a variety of topics, including business, history, literature, medicine, social science, technology, and many more.
- Oxford Reference Reference eBooks on a handful of topics, including management, history, and religion.
Conduct Exploratory In-Depth Research
Start doing some exploratory, in-depth research. As you look for relevant sources, such as scholarly articles and books, refine your topic based on what you find. While examining sources, consider how others discuss the topic. How might the sources inform or challenge your approach to your research question?
- Choosing and Refining Topics Tutorial A detailed tutorial from Colorado State University
- << Previous: Choosing a Research Topic
- Next: Developing a Research Question >>
- Last Updated: Oct 8, 2024 2:54 PM
- URL: https://researchguides.ben.edu/topics
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