Choosing a topic

The first step towards writing a research paper/doing research is deciding on a topic. If possible, start with a topic you're interested in or are curious about.  You should also think about how long the paper (or speech or presentation) must be and how much time you have to complete your research. A five-page paper or a ten-minute presentation would probably be too short to discuss genetic engineering or the complete works of Charles Dickens; instead, consider narrowing your scope to labeling of genetically modified foods or Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." If you only have one or two weeks to find the information you need and write your paper, you'll probably need to use information from articles and books in our libraries. If you have more time, you can get materials we don't own from other libraries through Interlibrary Loan.

Here are some suggestions for finding a topic:

• Discuss your topic ideas with your instructor.
• Discuss your topic ideas with a reference librarian. You can set up a research consultation with a librarian who specializes in the subject area.
• Scan current periodicals, encyclopedias, or reference books that cover the subject area or discipline of your topic.
• Electronically scan current newspapers; try the Proquest Newsstand Complete database or the Internet Public Library's Online Newspapers has links to newspapers worldwide.
• Do some background reading (textbooks, specialized resources in the library or on the web.) You will probably refine and refocus your topic as you go along.  (See Finding Background Information.)

Once you have your topic, write it out as a short sentence or question and look at the different concepts or key words that make up your topic. For example, the topic "What is the impact of NAFTA on Mexican income distribution?" might fall into the following categories:

• NAFTA, north american free trade agreement, free trade
• Mexico, Mexican
• Income, income distribution, income gap, wages, salaries

See also:

• Finding background information
• Subject vs. keyword searching
• SIC and NAICS codes (industry classification codes for business research)

To summarize:

• Select a topic
• Start making a list of key words describing your major concepts 

Next step:

Developing a search strategy