| Not all topics
are created equal. Once you have obtained an overview and
identified a possible focus, it is necessary to determine whether
the topic is "researchable."
Back in the "olden days" whether a topic was researchable
depended primarily on the likely sufficiency of the available print-based
resources on the topic. Today, with the proliferation of electronic
information, almost all topics can be supported. The problem today
is not too little information, but rather, too much.
One of the principal challenges of topic selection
is to define the scope of the topic so that it is matched to the
requirements of the assignment. In most cases, topics are too broad
rather than too narrow. Research papers of less than 15 pages require
very focused topics. Try one of these ideas to focus your topic:
- Look up the broad topic in the index volume of
the Encyclopedia Britannica
or a specialty encyclopedia devoted to your content area. (Ask
an OWHL Librarian for help in identifying the best specialty encyclopedia.)
The index will give you multiple subheadings that may suggest
questions. It will also be an excellent source of a working vocabulary
of search terms for your topic. Write these terms down. They will
come in very handy when you begin searching electronic databases.
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