Topic

Choose and Narrow Your Topic

In the beginning, take the time to brainstorm ideas for a topic; you'll be surprised that this will actually save you time in the end! Consider what interests you the most within the boundaries of the time period or subject area you are studying. Now ask yourself, "How can I choose a topic that is broad enough to find a variety of information but specific enough that I won't be overwhelmed?" Finding this balance is the key to choosing a great topic!

Examples:

Develop Questions About Your Topic

Now that you've chosen the perfect topic, it's time to get started! With so many possibilities, you must decide in which direction to go. What are you most interested in learning about your topic? Why is it important to learn about your topic? How can you explain your topic to others? Think of several questions to ask about your topic and then narrow them down to the top four questions to research. These will be the categories you focus on while you surf through your sources.

Brainstormed questions:

• Who invented basketball?

• How did he/she get the idea for basketball?

• When was basketball invented?

• Where was basketball invented?

• What were the original rules?

• What were the original materials?

• How has basketball changed?

Revised questions:

• Who invented basketball, and how did he/she get the idea?

• When and where was basketball invented?

• What were the original rules and materials?

• How has basketball changed?

Find Key Words

You're well on your way down the path to research. To avoid roadblocks, it will be helpful to begin researching some key words from your topic and questions. One way to get started is make a list of these words. Then you may want to use the online dictionary sources below. These entries may help you think of even more words to research. It is also likely that you'll discover more key words to look up along the way!

Online Dictionaries

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