Finding & Developing a Topic
Butte College Library
Online Workshop Series
Finding and Developing A Topic
Discovering what you want to research, need to research, and how to find the right tools to help you
You've just gotten an assignment to write a paper -- now what do you do?
Sometimes the idea of having to do research can be overwhelming, but in reality, it doesn't have to be so difficult.
In this presentation, we'll take a look at some methods and tools you can use to find good research topics that won't overwhelm you.
Don't wait until the last minute
One of the most important tips of all is - don't wait until the last minute to get started.
It's tempting to procrastinate and put off things that we're not sure how to do, or think of as "all work and no play."
Most people do that once in a while, which is why the IRS receives a huge amount of tax returns postmarked April 15.
But try not to give in to temptation! Waiting until the last minute increases the chances that your grade will not be as good as it could be, since you will not easily be able to complete all of the steps in the research and writing process in a timely manner. 
Things take time
Last minute research makes it difficult or impossible to:
- Find and refine the best topic, especially if you need to broaden, narrow, or completely change your thesis. You may suddenly discover that there is too much, or not enough about your topic, or that research seems to contradict your theories.
- Read and reflect on the topic and related issues. When there's no time, it's easy to give in and take the first research results you get. But that doesn't give you time to make sure your research supports your topic, or that you have covered all of the main points.
- Choose (or change) your thesis statement if you need to.
You'll need time to:
- Evaluate and use the most appropriate materials for research- instructors usually want you to use the most reliable resources for a given subject area. You need time to evaluate your sources, especially web resources.
- Borrow books from other libraries . The perfect book for your topic may not be at our library, but might be easily available from another library. If you wait until the last minute, we won't be able to get it for you in time for you to meet the paper deadline.
- Find additional materials to fill any gaps in your research. The more time you have to do the research, the more you can go back and add in information to fill any "holes" in your research.
And *everyone* has holes in their research during the first draft. Trust me, even professional researchers do. That's why they start well in advance!
To Stress or not to Stress?
If you wait until the last minute, you may not be able to take advantage of reference and interlibrary loan assistance at the Library, or get help from tutors at the LRC to help you do the best job of writing your results. Staff is there to help you learn, and to support you in being the best student you can. But we can't help you if you don't leave us time to.
Finally, waiting til the last minute adds unnecessary stress to your life - starting well ahead lets you spend a few minutes a day gathering & organizing information & writing your paper, as opposed to staying up all night in a panic. Plus - you won't waste a lot of time WORRYING about the fact that you haven't started doing your paper - it will be done, and you can relax and enjoy a well-deserved break.
Steps to Develop Your Topic
- Analyze your assignment
- Gather background information
- Refine your topic and create a thesis
- Identify which resources are most likely to have the kinds of information you need
- Find reliable information
- Repeat as necessary!
Step 1: Analyze your assignment
Often, your instructor will give you clues as to what kind of topic to look for. These may include requirements for length (numbers of words or pages), whether it is a formal paper with a bibliography or an informal essay, and what the subject or topic should include. Read your instructor's directions carefully to find clues about what kind of assignment it is.
Analyze the Cues
What are the clues?
Clues include action words about the type of presentation: discuss, evaluate, compare, contrast, summarize, synthesize, and so on
- Discuss usually means that you should give complete and detailed answer. Make sure that you research, analyze, and present all points of view regarding the topic you are discussing.
- Evaluate implies making a judgment of the basis of a set of criteria. This typically involves examining both the strengths and advantages, and weaknesses and limitations of a topic, issue, or argument.
- Compare involves looking at two or more subjects, issues, arguments, points of view and other entities and demonstrating how they are similar or different.
- Contrast is the flip side of compare, and involves highlighting or differences when compared or juxtaposed.
- Summarize usually means give the main facts in as few words as possible, using your own words and terms.
- Synthesize means pulling together ideas or information into a coherent whole, and combining new information with existing knowledge to form an original idea or interpretation.
What are the instructor's requirements?
Some instructors give very specific topics (for example, an essay on the effects of vehicular emissions on global warming). Other instructors may leave you more room to develop your own topic, such as a pro-con analysis on a current topic of your choice.
The instructor may give explicit instructions: "Write a five page summary on some aspect of the life cycle of the butterfly. Include FOUR SCHOLARLY JOURNALS, THREE BOOKS, TWO GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS, AND A WEB PAGE in your research."
It can be helpful to use a highlighter to mark the important words in an instructor's assignment to help you make sure you have covered all of the requirements. If you are unsure, ask your instructor to help you understand.
Giving yourself time to understand the assignment will help you write a better paper and focus your research efforts more effectively and efficiently. Don't waste time looking for badgers if you're supposed to write about butterflies.
What kind of assignment is it?
- Coverage: Look for information about the coverage and scope of the assignment. Are you supposed to do a survey or overview, or look in-depth at one aspect?
- New information: Are you covering only the latest trends on a given subject or field, or should you include historical information?
- Scholarship level: If you are in a class for transfer to a 4 year college, the level of resources you are expected to find and use will be different from a class which introduces students to college level research and writing skills.
- Audience: An assignment to develop a project or write an essay for your peers will be different from a formal classroom paper for faculty, and still different when you go on to do research in the world outside academia.
Tricks for browsing. . . SKIM
So now that you have some ideas for where to start browsing for topics, how can you possibly get through all of this information? Here are some tips & tricks:
- Skim - read the relevant parts.
Read the first and last paragraph of a newspaper, magazine, or journal article: Look for general and main ideas in the introductory and concluding paragraphs, including topic sentences.
Tricks for browsing. . . SCAN
-
Scan - look quickly through the text to find supporting words and concepts. Supporting details might include explanations, examples, quotes, statistics, etc
- TIP: If you are looking at an HTML or text document on a computer, use FIND (Ctrl+F on a PC) to help you locate your keyword in context.
Tricks for browsing. . . CATEGORIZE
- Categorize - Create a list of categories under which the information you are finding can be grouped. This will help you identify like concepts and patterns.
Tricks for browsing. . . FOLLOW THE LINKS
- Use hyperlinks to bibliographies and articles, and to other information on the same subject.
- TIP: Open in a new window, or use favorites, bookmarks, or tags, or open your word processor and copy and paste the key paragraphs along with the URL and source into your document.
Step 2: Gather background information
Whew! You finally have a pretty good idea of what you want your topic to be. Now it's time to gather some background information. Many of the same resources you used in developing your topic can help you gather background information as well.
- Preliminary Ideas
- Library Subject Headings
- Magazine & journal articles
- Library databases (CQ Researcher, SIRS)
Step 2: Gather background information
Here are a few common resources for gathering background information. Most online resources include a "Help" link and tutorials. If you're still not sure how to locate or use these resources, you can also ask a librarian.
- Definitions or Overviews: Subject encyclopedias, General encyclopedias, and Dictionaries
- Books
- Periodicals
- Pro/Con analyses: SIRS Researcher, CQ Researcher (Library Databases)
- Current Events: Newspapers, Internet news sites, America's Newspapers (Library database)
If you're still not sure how to locate or use these resources, you can also ask a librarian.
Step 3: Define thesis and refine topic
Once you know your topic and are beginning your background research, it's time to define your thesis so you can refine your topic for better results.
A thesis is the basic argument or premise that you will attempt to prove in your paper or project. It may also reflect your attitude or position on a problem.
Once you have your thesis, you can use your background research to make sure that your thesis is neither too big to prove in the amount of time and space you have, nor too limiting.
You may also discover that your thesis needs some revising to be true. Better to find that out ahead of time than after hours of research!
A Draft Thesis
Developing a draft thesis allows you to narrow a topic to manageable size and test whether your research will support your thesis.
"Butterflies come from cocoons."
- Does evidence found in your research support this statement? Do butterflies really come from cocoons?
- If so, is there actually enough to say on this topic to fill a five page scholarly paper?
- If not, you will need to either revise your thesis ("butterflies do not come from cocoons") or broaden your thesis ("comparative analysis of the life cycles of butterflies and moths").
Developing and refining a thesis allows you to discover broader, narrower, and related terms than can help with your research.
Related terms above might include: chrysalis, pupae, caterpillar, etc.
Help with your thesis and paper
- Butte College Center for Academic Success (CAS) http://www.butte.edu/cas/, including tip sheets on everything from writing skills to test-taking and interviewing
- Research and Documentation Online : guide to finding and documenting sources and citation styles by Diana Hacker
- Purdue University OWL (Online Writing Lab): in-depth web site with help. Click on "the Writing Process" under "Navigation" for steps in writing the term paper
You can get more help in developing a thesis, as well as tutoring services in other areas at the Butte College Center for Academic Success, located in the Learning Resources Center building near the Library. There are also some excellent web sites to help you, including Diana Hacker's online version of her book on research and documentation, and an extensive collection of tools for all types of writing at Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL).
Step 4: Finding Reliable Information
- Libraries -- books, periodicals, databases
- Books and reputable magazines and periodicals
- Government Web sites http://www.usa.gov/
- Recommended Web sites
Which resources?
Which resources are most likely to have the kinds of information you need?
- Extensive information - Books & eBooks
- Specific topics - Journal articles in print and online
research databases
- Current events - newspapers, internet news sites
- Leading edge research & interests -- magazines, white papers, RSS feeds, blogs, Library databases, websites such as http://www.science.gov/
Which databases?
- Combined databases like EBSCO and ProQuest will have detailed information on many subjects, but may be harder to browse.
- Databases such as Issues & Controversies OnFile and Oxford Art Online have features that allow you to browse topics.
- Some subject-specific databases, such as CINAHL or Rand California may be what you need for specialty searching.
Other Resources
| Primary Sources | Secondary Sources | Evaluative Sources |
|---|
- Newspapers
- Research reports
- Manuscripts (archives)
- Government publications
|
- Books
- Magazine and journals
- Subject encyclopedias
|
|
Other Resources
| Facts | Current Information | Historical Information |
|---|
- Almanacs and yearbooks
- Statistics
- Government publications
|
- Newspapers, magazines and journals
|
|
Use Citations
- Use the citations in the articles and books you are reading to find related materials on your topic, as well as the library catalog, print and electronic indexes to articles, full-text article databases, and the Internet.
- Search Google.com with your subject word and .edu -- you can often find web sites and articles written by faculty with linked references
How Critical Are You?
Can you:
- tell if the information is reliable?
- tell the difference between propaganda and fact?
- spot a hoax? (snopes.com)
- determine whether an author is "profoundly ignorant about the wrong side of a question?"
If you are finding and developing a topic based on bad source information, you may waste a lot of hard work and still get a poor grade. So let's take a very quick look at some factors in evaluating resources. Do you know how to tell if the information you have retrieved is reliable? Can you spot a hoax? Fortunately, you can learn to do all these things!
Evaluation Criteria for ALL sources:
- Authority
- Comprehensiveness
- Reliability
- Currency
Whether you are looking at an article in a magazine, reading a book, surfing a web page - or even talking to someone on the phone or attending a presentation at a conference - you can use these criteria to evaluate your sources
Authority
- Who wrote/said it?
- What makes them an expert?
- What are their credentials or experience on the subject?
How can you tell if someone is an authority on a subject? You may be able to find other experts who cite them using the online databases or
Google scholar. You can check to see what other materials they have published, or what their educational background and professional experience has been. If you are using online databases, you can select peer-reviewed and scholarly journals. If you are looking at web sites, look for sites that come from the government (.gov) or educational institutions (.edu).
Comprehensiveness
- coverage?
- new information?
- scholarship level?
- audience?
Comprehensiveness includes factors such as coverage - how much information, and in what detail? Does this source add new information to what you already know? Is the scholarship level appropriate for your needs? What audience is the author writing for?
Reliability
| Objective or Biased? |
|
Accuracy? |
- Fact or opinion?
- Language?
- Motive?
- Propaganda?
|
 |
- Correct information?
- Are sources cited?
- Are primary or secondary sources used?
|
There are many factors to consider when evaluating the reliability of a source. Here is a quick overview; these are covered in more depth in the Library's workshop on Evaluating Resources.
Currency
- Date published?
- Any discoveries or important events since publication date?
- Is source out-of-date for topic?
You'll want to look at the currency of the information, including the date published. Your instructor may have told you to limit your research to only the most recent results, within the past year or past six months. But for some topics, older resources are still valuable. Even when using "classic" resources, it is important to make sure you know about any discoveries or important events since the publication date.
Relevance
- Does the information relate to your topic?
Check your instructor's requirements for the research paper. 
- Is the information at an appropriate level?
Decide whether the information is too advanced or too elementary for your topic.
- Is this source appropriate for a research paper?
- Are better sources available in the library? (either in print or library subscription databases)
You can find the best resource in the world on badgers, but it doesn't help you with your paper on butterflies. Here are four questions you can ask yourself to determine if the source you have found is relevant to your research needs.
Using the information
Take good notes:
- Heading (keyed to heading on your outline)
- Paraphrase (or use "quotations")
- Note page number
- Author or editor's name
- Title of work
- Series (if any)
- Publisher, date, and place of publication
- Call numberss and URLs are also helpful
Using the information
Write your paper
- Document sources using consistent style:
MLA, APA, Turabian, CBE, Chicago, etc.
- Plagiarism - always a bad idea
Plagiarism is using someone else's words or ideas without crediting the source (citing). Ramifications of plagiarism, even unintentional plagiarism, can be extremely serious. It's a great way to get an F, possibly be expelled, and later on in your professional life, be sued for copyright infringement, and other bad things. Because this is such a serious issue, the Library staff has created a series of workshops to help you learn to avoid plagiarism.
Questions?
Ask us!
- Call the reference desk at 879-4024
- Email a librarian referenceli@butte.edu
- Ask a librarian now! 24/7 help: http://www.butte.edu/library/ > Ask a Librarian > Ask Now
- Visit the Library in person (Main Campus, LB 2nd floor or Chico Center Room 219).
You have now completed the online tutorial
