Defining Your Research Topic
- It is important that your topic is neither too broad...
Example: ... - ... or too narrow.
Example: ...
- Write your research topic as a question, subject idea or thesis statement.
Example: ... - List the main concepts.
Example: ... - List key words, phrases and synonyms to search.
Example: ... - Remember to include alternate spellings.
Example: ...
How to Narrow Your Topic
"I'm writing a paper on World War II."
Often students start their research with a very general topic, even though they may realize the topic is too large to deal with in a 10-15 page paper. Faculty and librarians tell them, "You have to narrow this down." But how do you narrow a topic?
Ask yourself--
- What discipline am I working in? If you are in a sociology class, ask a sociological question about World War II, like "How did WWII affect women?" If it's a political science class, your question might be something like "How did WWII affect presidential elections in the US?"
- What are some subsets or aspects of your topic. Some good aspects are:
- by place, such as a country or region
- by time period, such as a century, decade or year
- by population, such as men, women, ethnic group, youth, children or elderly
You can combine these ideas, "What were the major impacts of WWII on women in France, in the decade after the war?"
More ideas in our brief tutorial on topic selection and narrowing.
Background Information
History in Dispute, Vol 1: The Cold War (first series)
History in Dispute, Vol 6: The Cold War (second series)
Encyclopedia of the Cold War: a political, social, and military history
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