English 101 Research Guide: Selecting & Developing a Topic

You can do some general searching in any database to get topic ideas. You may find the databases below helpful for generating and refining ideas.

Books can provide an overview of a topic. Look at the headings and chapters for ideas on how to narrow a broad topic.

To find books: Enter search terms in Quick Search field on the library's home page. Once you have a results list, select the Books limiter (under Source Types).

Peruse the newspapers and current periodicals in Briggs Library or look at news sites online for topic ideas.

Use Web sites to look for topic ideas.

When you use the Quick Search box on the library's home page you may find a Research Starter at the top of your results list. These resources offer an overview of a topic and provide ideas for refining a topic.

One approach to developing a topic is to start with a broad subject that interests you and brainstorm some more specific topics under this broad category. For example:

Technology

• internet businesses
• cybersecurity
• cell phones
• online education
• cyberbullying
• robotics
• self-driving cars
• 3D printing

The bulleted topics are narrower, but will still need to be refined for an undergraduate research project. This is a good point to begin your research. See how much information is available on a topic and how authors approach different aspects of the topic. You’ll want to develop a research question or questions to help guide you as you search for information. Example research questions for researching cell phones follow.

Cell Phones

• Does texting affect writing skills?
• Can teachers use cell phones to engage students in the classroom?  If so, how?
• How do cell phones function as a status symbol?
• How do cell phone affect social interactions?

Your topic and topic question will evolve as you continue with your research. Consult the video Picking Your Topic IS Research for more information.

Are you having trouble finding information on your topic?

Try different searches, keeping in mind that you'll need to consult multiple sources to research your topic. Consult the video One Perfect Source? for more information.

Still no luck? Consider broadening your topic.

Ideas for broadening a topic:

• Cover a broader time span
• Cover a broader geographic area
• Include a larger population
• Bring in related topics or perspectives
• Examine a larger problem

Examples:

Narrow topic: Do SDSU students taking writing classes online make less progress than SDSU students taking in-person classes?

To address this question you’d likely need to conduct original research.  To find published sources you could try broadening the population and broadening the type of learning addressed.

• Do college students taking writing classes online make less progress than students taking in-person classes?
• Do college students taking classes online make less academic progress than students taking in-person classes?

Narrow Topic: How are men portrayed in beer commercials shown during NFL games?

Broader to topics to try:

• How are men portrayed in commercials for alcohol?
• How are men portrayed in commercials?
• Are men portrayed as simplistic on television?

Mapping is another approach to generating ideas and to exploring ways to narrow or broaden a topic. You can start mapping out concepts by asking the questions who, what, when, where, and why.

You can use online programs to create concept maps which illustrate the relationships.

Consult the video Mapping Your Research Ideas for more information.