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Research Strategies

Manage your research strategy, use databases more effectively, and understand how the library is organized -- it's all here.

About Analyzing Topics:

 

A topic is the main organizing principle guiding the analysis of your research paper. Topics offer us an occasion  for writing and a focus that governs what we want to say. Topics represent the core subject matter of scholarly communication, and the means by which we arrive at other topics of conversations and discover new knowledge.

Narrowing Your Topic

 

Now it is time to put all of the information you've gathered together to give you a solid foundation with which to research articles, encyclopedias, and books. You may find the following table to be a helpful way to organize your data. Keep in mind that this is NOT your thesis statement, just a tool to narrow your research. If you can fill out this table, you most likely have a narrow enough topic with enough direction to perform some great research.

1)  I am researching ______________________________________ (topic)

2)  because I want to find out ______________________________(issue/question)

3)  in order to ________________________________ (application - So What? - Project/Audience/Purpose driven)

Examples:
   I am researching speech impairments in children (topic)
   because I want to find out if an older sibling with a speech problem effects a younger sibling (issue/question)
   in order to convince my principal the need for family therapy (application - audience).

I am researching ethanol as an alternative fuel (topic)
because I want to find out the pros and cons of its use and formulate my opinion (issue/question)
in order to persuade my readers that my position is correct (application - audience).

   I am researching ways to teach English as a second language (topic)
   because I want to find out the most effective strategies available (issue/question)
   in order to prepare me to be a better teacher (application - purpose).

I am researching autism in children (topic)
because I want to find out how best to socially interact with them (issue/question)
in order to better accomplish my service learning experience. (application - project).

   I am researching genetically modified foods (topic)
   because I want to find out if they are nutritionally better than organic foods (issue/question)
   in order to produce a brochure summarizing the issues for my Writing 150 class.(application - project).
 

(Adapted from:  Booth, W. C., Colomb, G. G. & Williams, J. M. (2008). The Craft of Research (3rd ed.) Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, p. 51-65.)

Topic Development

 

A thesis statement should express your goals in writing the paper - how you interpret the assignment, what you think the major issues are, how you are going to proceed and what you expect to end up with at the end of the paper. Your thesis is NOT a restatement of the assignment as given. It is what you think is important about the assignment.

Five Things to Do when Analyzing Your Topic

ONE | Does your topic have distinct words?

   Example: "Methernitha" has a unique meaning but "affirmative action" while specific is only unique when applied to a focused area of research.

TWO | Does your topic have NO distinctive words or phrases?

   Example: "order out of chaos" is a phrase associated with change theory but each word has no unique meaning. You will have to use dictionaries and encyclopedias to find details about this phrase and it's usage.

THREE | Is your research topic TOO broad?

   Example: "Victorian literature", ethics, or alternative energy sources would require searching through books to find a more focused research topic.

FOUR | Does your topic too narrow?

   Example: "automobile recyclability" is very narrow and specific but very recent therefore probably only available in articles or podcasts or online video or newspapers.

FIVE | Does your topic have synonyms or alternative spellings?

   Example: "green living" is also "sustainable lifestyle".  To search for synonyms and alternative spellings, you will have to use databases that offer Boolean operator search functionality.

Source Selection

There are many different types of sources for you to use when researching your topic. Each source provides distinctly different types of information each valuable for you to use in assignments and when writing papers. In most cases, you will have to use a variety of these source types to get the information you need top achieve success.