Next, it's important to narrow your topic to a manageable scope. Overly broad topics are often troublesome because there is too much information for you to cover in the limited space of a class research project, resulting in a shallow survey of the topic, which any encyclopedia article on the subject has already done. On the other hand, an appropriately focused topic will allow you to engage with your topic with significant depth within the space of your research project. To begin narrowing your topic, identify one facet of your topic to investigate. There are a several strategies for identifying the different aspects of a topic, two that we will cover here, include:
Exploring Database Subject Terms
One quick method for narrowing your topic is using a database subject index to identify subtopics within a broader subject. The database Academic Search Complete provides an excellent subject index to use for narrowing your topic. You can access Academic Search complete from Kirk Library's the A-Z Database and Resources page.
Once you are on the Academic Search Complete search page, first click on "advanced search."
Next, click on the "Subject" button below the search fields.
Next, type your subject in the "Search for terms in Academic Search Complete -- Subject Terms" field, press the enter key on your keyboard, and select your topic from the results list.
The database will then create a list of "Broader," "Narrower," and "Related" terms. If you see a subject you would like to explore further, check the box next to it and click the "add to search" button which adds the subject term to the search field above. Now, you can immediately obtain all the resources the database has on that subject.
Interrogating Your Topic Using Some Basic Questions
Start by asking foundational questions. Basic questions like those listed below help identify narrower facets of your topic that may lead to the approach you want pursue in your research project. This can be particularly helpful for developing a research question because you can mix and match the elements like "what" and "where" or "what" and "how" to form a research question, which we explore in the next section.
