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Introduction to Library Research

This guide contains essential information on how to do college-level research.

Selecting a Topic

Remember:

Selecting a topic can be the most challenging part of doing research. Defining and refining your topic is an ongoing process. Be prepared to change the focus of your topic as you gather more information. Selecting your topic will also depend on what your instructor has specified.

These are some general guidelines to follow:

  • Interesting: Select a subject you can get interested in.  Since you will be spending a considerable amount of time researching your topic, you will want it to be something that holds your interest and that of the reader.
     
  • Focus: Make sure your topic isn't too narrow or vague. If the topic is too broad, you will be overwhelmed with information. If the topic is too narrow, you may not be able to find enough information for your research paper. An excellent first step is trying to ask a question about your topic to give you both a focus and structure.
     

    Broad topic: climate change --> Focused topic: How have bottlenose dolphins adapted to climate change? 

Your research question should be open-ended, which will guide you in further research and help you formulate your statement or theory. 

Picking a Topic

All topics can be viewed from several angles. What are the more minor questions that will help create an answer to the primary question?

Who are the people affected by your study?
age, ethnicity, gender, profession, company/industry

What components or aspects of the topic will you explore?
causes, effects, diagnosis or treatment, problems, trends

Where does your topic fit?
Is there a specific country, state, county, city, or country in which your topic fits geographically?

Can the "where" be defined by a broader regional concept such as urban/rural, global/local?

Can the "where" also define your population - such as college campuses, prisons, and elementary schools?

When did the issue or event become important?
A specific century/decade/clear period will you need the most current information available? Historical information? Both?

Why is this topic important? What is significant about this issue?
I'd like to point out the possible approaches and select the best one for your needs.

Which disciplines or occupations would be interested in the topic or analyze it in their literature?

Many research topics are interdisciplinary, and the disciplinary focus will determine the appropriate tools to locate information.

For example, for the question: How have polar bears adapted to climate change? You could look within the following fields:

  • biology
  • environmental studies

Make sure you understand the basics of your topic. If it is new to you, familiarize yourself with the basic terms, people, events, statistics, and foundational information.

For this purpose, reference books such as encyclopedias and handbooks will offer short articles.

Could you write a thesis that is consistent with the evidence you find? It should be of significance to the discipline and supportable by the evidence.

As you gather information, you will formulate new questions and possibly even change the focus of your research, so your thesis may change.

If the statement or theory is controversial, your thesis should reflect your position. A strong research paper will reflect both sides of an argument, and researching this is essential to gathering background information.

For further reading:

Once you have developed your thesis, you are reading to start searching earnestly, and our search strategies page can get you started. Keep in mind that research is usually not a linear process - based on what you discover when you research, you may end up revising or even changing your thesis altogether.