Narrowing your topic

Example:I'm thinking of doing a paper on "fashion." This topic could develop in many different ways.

Hint: Ask Yourself Questions About Your Topic:

• What do you know about it? What don't you know?
• What aspects of your topic interest you: historical, sociological, psychological, etc.?
• What time period do you want to cover?
• On what geographic region do you want to focus?
• What kind of information do you need?
• A brief summary or a lengthy explanation?
• Periodical articles, books, essays, encyclopedia articles?
• Statistics?

Sample Topic Narrowing Chart:

General Topic: fashion
Time span: 1920s
Place: US; urban; big cities (not rural)
Person or group: youth; college age
Event or Aspects: sexual attitudes; behavior; sociological

Broadening Your Topic

Example: I'm thinking of doing a paper on "whether genetically altered soybeans are safe for consumers."

This topic as stated is seeking to answer a question for which there may be no answer yet -- more scientific and long-term research may need to be done. How can this be turned into a more manageable topic?

Hint 1: Look for parallels and opportunities for broader associations:

• Could you examine other bioengineered foods, in addition to soybeans?
• Could you think broadly about safety concerns and issues -- what might these be?
• Who are the key players in this controversy? Consumer activists? The FDA? Scientists?
• What other issues are involved in this topic? Such as, how should be foods be labeled?

Hint 2: Brainstorm! (and ask a reference librarian!)

Sample Topic Broadening Chart:

Specific Topic: Are genetically altered soybeans safe for consumers?
Alternate focus: bioengineered or genetically altered foods
Alternate Place: general; US, Europe
Brainstorm Focus on: Person or Group: consumer advocates vs FDA and scientists
Brainstorm Focus on: Event or Aspect: labeling foods; regulations