1 Step 1 | Choosing a Topic
Beginning the research process can be quite daunting when one is unsure of what topic to choose, especially when a general topic area is not provided by the professor. Students often select areas that are safe and popular, never giving themselves the opportunity to explore how their current fields of study fit within their personal interests. This common practice can be rejuvenated by taking the time to understand what needs to be accomplished, refining your research area, and finding sources that provide context to a specific question looking to be explored.
The first thing you need to do is determine the scope of your research. Take a few minutes to think about your topic and the kind of information you might need. You can define your research scope by thinking about the following:
Amount: How much information do you need? For example, your professor may require a total of 4 –5 sources reflected in your bibliography.
Content: The types of information you need – This could be a certain number of popular, scholarly, secondary, and or primary sources.
Format: the configuration of the source (e.g., books, articles, videos, etc.)
Once you know what is required, you can now go through the process of choosing or refining a topic given to you. For example, if your instructor has asked you to write a research paper on generative AI. Generative AI is a very broad topic and can be explored in various ways. You will need to think about what you find interesting about generative AI. If you are an engineering student, you may want to investigate the ways generative AI’s processes information. If you are an English student, you may want to talk about the ethics of uploading literature into its memory bank. If you are a social science student, then you might be curious about its effects on society. No matter what you are studying, there are many ways to talk about this idea. Keep in mind that this still is not very specific, and you will still need to narrow it down even more.
The same steps still apply whether a topic was chosen for you or not. You will begin with a broad idea and work to find a specific topic to write about. The great news is that in either option you can tailor your topic to things you find interesting. In the next step we will show you some examples of how to brainstorm.
Checklist
- Have you read the assignment’s instructions?
- Do you know how many resources you need?
- Do you know what types of resources you’re required to use?
