You might be able to choose your own topic or you might have one assigned to you. In either case, expect to refine, broaden, or narrow your subject so you can find enough books and/or articles to learn and write about it knowledgeably.
I. If you can choose your own topic:
Here are some things to consider:
- Choose a topic that is interesting to you. It may seem obvious, but this will make the research process more fun and engaging for you.
- Choose a topic that others have written about. You will find far more resources this way.
- Consider the scope of your topic. If your topic is too broad it may be hard to find information that is focused and relevant; if your topic is too narrow it may be hard to find any information at all. Look at the chart below and characterize your own topic as broad, specific, or somewhere in between.
| Broad Subject Discipline |
Subject |
Topic Area |
Specific Topic |
| Science |
Meteorology |
Climate Change |
Climate change effects on food production |
| Humanities |
English Literature |
Elizabethan Drama |
Women in Shakespeare's plays |
| Social Sciences |
Sociology |
Family Studies |
Parental choice to adopt children |
Note! Here are strategies for developing a research topic once you have a broad topic in mind.
- Background research can help you develop your topic. This will help you learn more about your topic and may also help you hone or change it in more appropriate ways. Though this seems like extra work, it is actually a vital, time-saving step. Knowing more about your topic's background can only help you develop a more effective topic, and therefore, research paper. Try looking up your topic in our online dictionaries and encyclopedias.
- What do you want to learn about your topic?
- Do you know enough about your topic to understand the articles and books you are finding?
- How do you brainstorm?
- Talk about your topic with classmates or friends
- Jot down notes as you read about your topic
- Write about your topic for a few minutes and see what ideas develop
- Create a concept map that connects topic ideas
- Develop a research question. Once you have come up with a broad research topic and done some background research, you may want to develop a research question or a question you're going to answer in your research paper by doing in-depth research.
- What's your general approach to the topic? Think about some general approaches that may help you further develop your topic: your research could 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.
- Research is a dynamic process. Don't be afraid to discover new things and modify or refine your topic.
Note! Don’t worry if your topic still seems fuzzy and undefined at this point. This is a normal part of the research process.
- You will keep refining your ideas as you search for more books and articles. In fact, your topic may go through several stages of change as you read and understand more about it
- Give yourself enough time to search and think while you are getting to know your topic. Your paper will be easier to write and be of better quality
- Ask a librarian for help via text message, email, telephone, or in person
II. If your topic is assigned:
You may need to narrow your assigned topic.
- Begin your search finding books and articles. Go to Step 4 - Find and Evaluate Books and Step 5: Find and Evaluate Journal Articles to learn more about how to find books and articles.
- Determine how many recent articles and books there are on your topic
- Find out if there are new aspects of your topic
- Discover specific aspects of your topic that look interesting
You may need to negotiate with your professor if you narrow your topic. Give or send your professor summaries of the articles or titles of the books that gave you ideas on how to narrow the assigned topic.
Now, proceed to the Step 3: Work with Your Topic and find out how to avoid plagiarism.
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Note! Here are strategies for developing a research topic once you have a broad topic in mind.