Step 2:
Select Your Topic
Selecting a topic can be the most difficult part of the research process; especially if the subject is new to you. Not only do you have to come up with an idea, but that idea must fit the limitations your instructor has placed on the assignment.
When you select your topic, you need to make sure that your topic fits the requirements of the assignment and that you can access the necessary research materials during the time you have to write it.
The following learning activities and links to web sites will help you get an idea for your research paper. They will provide strategies to narrow down the topic so that it is workable.
Learning Activities
- Do a preliminary search of the Internet
- Do a preliminary search of Schoolcraft College Databases
- Construct a Star Diagram
- Brainstorm Ideas
Additional Resources
Baker, Jack Raymond and Allen Brizee "Choosing a Topic." Purdue Online Writing Lab. 4 January 2013, Purdue University.
McAlpine, Claire. "Where Do Good Research Ideas Come From?" Research. 26 May 2011. Marketing Research Society.
