Library Research Tutorials

Choosing A Topic

Choosing your topic is a critical first step in the research process. Picking an unsuitable topic will cost you a lot of time and effort so it is worth taking a few extra minutes when choosing a topic. Here are two important tips to keep in mind when choosing your research topic:

• Review your assignment: Does your assignment require a specific type of source? Does your topic need to focus on a specific geographic region or time period?
• Choose something interesting: It is harder to research a topic you find boring but think will be easy. Pick something you find personally interesting.

If you can't think of an immediate focus, review your class readings and notes for possible research topics. If that doesn't work, try asking yourself these questions:

• What events or topics do you feel enthusiastic about?
• Is there something you would like to know more about?
• Is there a current issue (global, national, local, campus…) that you are interested in or you feel is important?
• Do you have something to say or a strong opinion on a topic?

Are you still unsure about what topic to pick? Try discussing possible topic ideas with your instructor, librarian, friends, and/or classmates.

Background Research

If you are not already familiar with your topic, it will be difficult to develop a research question or form an effective search strategy. Therefore, an early step in the research process is gathering some basic background information on your topic. Below are a couple of examples of where you can find this information.

• Reference Sources: Reference sources (encyclopedias, dictionaries, and handbooks) can provide a broad overview of a topic, which will usually include covering background information, important concepts and people, and any current (from the time of publication) discussions within the field.
• Wikipedia: Wikipedia is one of the most commonly used reference sources and can be very helpful at the beginning of your research. You can start with Wikipedia but you never stop your research with Wikipedia. Since anyone can edit and add information on Wikipedia, use this tool to get a broad idea of a topic and then verify that information to with a library resource. 
• Google: The library is the best place to find credible information for your research. However, at the beginning of your research a broad Google search on your topic may help spark ideas about where you want to focus your research and any current discussions or controversies relating to your topic.

Developing a Topic

Your topic will likely be too broad and you will need to develop it before crafting it into your initial research question. This section will go over these steps with an example at the end reviewing the entire process. 

Brainstorming with the 5Ws

There are many ways to develop and refine a topic, this section will go over the method of brainstorming with the 5Ws. If the below method doesn't work for your learning style, check out the video under the tab above, which will review this and other techniques.

After selecting a topic, ask yourself who, what, where, when, and why you are interested in a topic. This will help shape your broader topic into a more specific research question. When you first start answering these questions, try writing down whatever comes into your head (or free write) instead of immediately picking one idea. 

• Who? - Who is impacted by your topic or who are you interested in relating to your topic? Think about populations, groups, people, animals, environment, gender, age, ethnicity, race, or occupations.

• What? - What aspects of this topic interest you? The causes? Effects? Implications? Solutions? Current relevant issues?
• Where? – What areas you are interested in researching? Think about geographic areas like countries, regions, states, or types of locations like workplace, school, or online.
• When? – What time period you are interested in research this topic? How it relates to today? In the past? In the future? In relation to a specific event or period?
• Why? – Why is this topic important? To your class? To you? To your field?

Crafting your Initial Research Question

After you have brainstormed go back and look for ideas that really interest you and can connect to each other. These items can then be developed into your initial research question. But be careful not to make your search too narrow during this process. Remember, research is a process and this initial question is not set in stone. You can (and probably will) adjust your initial research question at some point during the research process.

Example: Developing a Topic

1. Initial Topic: ADHD

2. Brainstorming and Developing the Topic

Selecting your Search Terms

Searching a library database is not the same as searching Google. In a Google search, you can type a question into the search bar. In a library database, you type keywords into the search bar. 

Here are a few helpful tips to remember when selecting your initial search terms:

• Your initial search terms will be drawn from the core concepts of your research question. Focus on using nouns, not verbs or adjectives. It is common to choose verbs such as effect, consequences, or impact as search terms, but these are not effective because these words will be used in almost all research papers.
• Don’t be afraid to change, add, or remove your search terms based on your results. Remember that research is a process and changing your search strategy is common and expected.
• Review your initial search terms and see if there are any synonyms you can use. You may already know these synonyms, but you can also get these by scanning reference materials, article abstracts, and subject headings (see the Search Strategies page in this module for more information on these tools).
• If your initial results are not promising (too few or too many), you may need to broaden or narrow your research topic. You can refer back to your initial brainstorm in the section above or expand your ideas based on your initial search results.
• Use separate search bars in the advanced search interface to group together related and separate different concepts.

Example: Selecting your Search Terms

1. Research Question:  What accommodations, if any, successfully helped college students with ADHD adjust to online education during COVID-19?

2. Draw out the core concepts and then find synonyms, more specific alternatives, and broader alternatives.