The hardest part of research is getting started! Choosing a topic can be intimidating, especially in introductory classes, when you don't really know much about the subject. The most important thing to remember is this: you are doing research, so don't make a statement about what you want to prove and then go looking for evidence to support your claim. Instead, start out with an interest, read some articles on the topic and then take a stance on the subject based on what you have learned.
Here are some tips to get you started:
1. Think about the topics in your class that have interested you so far. Or, if it is the beginning of the semester, think about what you expect the course will cover and what you expect to enjoy about the class. When you added this class, what made you think it might be interesting?
2. Flip through your textbooks and look for chapter titles or subheadings that interest you. Or, look at a magazine or journal (online or in print) in your subject area and look for interesting article.
3. Think about controversies or current events in your subject area. Could they lead to a potential research question? If you don't know any controversies or current events for your subject, Google "Controversies in XYZ," "Disagreements in XYZ," or "Current hot topics in XYX" and see if something you find interests you.
4. Think about what you’re studying in other classes. Are there interesting ways in which they might intersect with or relate to this class?
5. Talk to your classmates. Find out what ideas they’re considering. Talking to each other is a good way to brainstorm and to figure out what interests you.
6. Talk to your instructor. They may have suggestions, or can give you examples of the sort of ideas that have made for good papers for other students.
How long does your paper need to be?
A shorter paper will need a more narrowly focused idea, and a longer paper a broader one.
How much time do you have?
If you have several weeks, it’s likely your instructor is expecting you to do a lot of research.
Do you need a a particular number or type of references?
Scholarly books and articles take time to write and publish, so topics focused narrowly on a very recent event can be problematic.
Once you have a general idea what you want to write about, you need to make sure your topic is narrow enough to be workable. You do not want your topic to be so broad you could write a whole book on it or so narrow you can't find any information.
What is an example of narrowing your topic?
1. Ask yourself who, what, where, when, why and how questions about your topic. Using the above "Too Broad" topic as an example, when thinking about teaching reading, we can ask who? (early chapter book readers) and how? (active learning strategies). If we were writing a historical overview of strategies for teaching reading, we might have narrowed our focus by asking "when". Then our topic might have narrowed like this: A comparison of how reading was taught in the 1970's vs 21st century strategies. If we were interested in comparing how reading is taught in other countries, we might have narrowed our topic by asking "where." Then, our topic might have been: Teaching reading in third world countries.
2. Create a mind map. Write down your broad topic in the middle of a piece of paper. Then brainstorm associated ideas. The terms you write down will likely be good directions to take when narrowing your topic. Here is an example:
Once you have done enough research to narrow your topic to something manageable, you are probably ready to formulate your research question. A Research Question is a statement that identifies the phenomenon to be studied. For example, "Does education play a role in reducing juvenile delinquents' return to crime?" Your research question will drive your research. You will be looking for the answer to your question and that answer will become the thesis statement of your final paper.
Start with the topic that your have decided upon and then list all the questions that you'd like answered about it yourself.
1. It is researchable. A question that can be answered with yes/no or a simple fact is not a research question.
2. It is unbiased. A good research question does not lead a researcher to a particular conclusion. It allows for investigation. Conclusions are based on that investigation.
3. It is manageable. "What effects do electronic devices have on people?" is a researchable, unbiased question, but it is not manageable. "Electronic devices" and "people" are too broad. A better question would be, "What effects does television have on children between the ages of 2-10?"
4. It is interesting. Hopefully, you started out with a topic that was interesting to you. Your research question should lead you to investigate something you don't already know about and something you'd like to learn about. Along those same lines, it should be significant to people in general. Your research question should ask an important question. Finally, it should be unique to some degree. Ask yourself, "Has my professor read 100 papers on this topic?" If you fear the answer might be yes, try to think of some unique angle to investigate. This usually leads you to narrow your topic a little further.
Considering the information above, the following provides examples of flawed research questions as well as questions that are well-designed:
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Too narrow: What is the childhood obsesity rate in Pheonix, AZ? This is too narrow because it can be answered with a simple statistic. Questions that can be answered with a "yes" or a "no" should also typically be avoided. |
Less narrow: How does the education level of the parents impact childhood obesity rates in Pheonix, AZ? This question demonstrates the correct amount of specificity and the results would provide the opportunity for an argument to be formed. |
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Unfocused and too broad: What are the effects of childhood obesity in the United States? This question is so broad that research methodology would be very difficult and the question is too broad to be discussed in a typical research paper. |
More focused: How does childhood obesity correlate with academic performance in elementary school children? This question has a very clear focus for which data can be collected, analyzed, and discussed. |
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Too objective: How much time do young children spend doing physical activity per day? This question may allow the researcher to collect data but does not lend itself to collecting data that can be used to create a valid argument because the data is just factual information. |
More Subjective: What is the relationship between physical activity levels and childhood obesity? This is a more subjective question that may lead to the formation of an argument based on the results and analysis of the data. |
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Too simple: How are school systems addressing childhood obesity? This information can be obtained without the need to collect unique data. The question could be answered with a simple online search and does not provide an opportunity for analysis. |
More Complex: What are the effects of intervention programs in the elementary schools on the rate of childhood obesity among 3rd - 6th grade students? This question is more complex and requires both investigation and evaluation which will lead the research to form an argument that may be discussed. |
Once you have your research question and you have done some preliminary reading on your topic, you are ready to form your thesis statement. The working thesis should summarize the answer to your main research question, and will likely change after you do some research.
A good thesis statement:
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