Research Depot: Pick a Topic, Keep a Topic
Introduction
You can't start researching, of course, until you have a topic. But, paradoxically,
you're going to have to do some research before you find a topic that
works for you. And, once you have that topic, you want to make sure to
keep it—that means always developing it instead of discarding
it. After all, if you've done the right kind of pre-work, you'll know
your topic is workable, so even if you hit some bumps, you'll want to
alter your project rather than starting from scratch. It might seem
like you have a lot of time to figure out a topic. The final research
essay, after all, isn't due until the end of the semester. But, the reason
it's due at the end of the semester is because it's going to take a lot
of time for you to develop your project. Starting over is rarely a good
idea (you just don't have that kind of time); starting right always
is.
So how do I begin?
Picking a topic for your research essay might seem overwhelming because
the topic for the course seems so broad. If you begin simply by typing
in the theme of your course into a web search engine, you'll get back
a list of thousands of web sites, each with an entirely different interpretation
of that theme. For example, if you put "globalization" into
Google, you get 464,000 results, ranging from globalization and human
rights to globalization and women in the workplace.
To find your own project in such a vast area you need some sort of plan.
In fact, what you need is a strategy, a little three-step dance called
SGS: Specific/General/Specific.
Step 1: Specific
Begin looking for a topic by focusing on a specific question that interests
you. This means both finding material in the topic that relates to things
that matter to you as well as relating things that matter to you back
to the topic. For example, if you have an interest in music and you're
in the Witchcraft section, you might be interested in the ways in which
accusations of satanic messages embedded in music have been used as a
form of censorship and control. If you're a Napster fan in Technology
and Society, you might want to work on what's happening with Napster,
and what implications it has for society.
If nothing interests you, focus on any question that has come
up from the reading and discussion you've done in class. You don't even
need to be committed to this question; you just need a basic place from
which to begin. You can also start with a question that comes from your
own experience. Even questions like "Why is the water that comes
out of my bathroom faucet yellow?" or "How did rap music get
started?" are good questions to begin looking for a topic,
even if they are too specific or too vague to form a topic themselves.
Step 2: General
Even as you work on the specifics, you might also find it useful to work
your way into the topic overall. Begin by typing in keywords from your
question into the library's or an Internet search engine. Or punch in
the name of one of the authors you've been reading in class. See what's
out there—all of what's out there, and then allow yourself
to find more general information by clicking on different subject headings
and links. Follow up on anything that seems interesting to you, even if
it takes you away from your original question. Remember that you are exploring
options, so anything goes. Just try to take some notes on each web site
or topic you visit so that you can go back to it later. Write down a list
of key terms or ideas from each article you skim. Your notes can serve
as a list of issues that you will need to refer to when you develop your
specific topic.
Step 3: Specific
Now that you've got your specific interest, and now that you've found
a lot of general information, focus on one or two ideas that were most
interesting to you. Try to come up with questions that suggest a relationship
among people, events, and ideas. Include key terms and ideas that showed
up over and over again in your preliminary research. Make sure that your
topic has elements of both the general and the specific. For example,
if you want to focus on a specific historical event, be sure that you'll
be able to figure out why and how that specific event connects to your
general class discussion on the course's theme. If you're interested in
a more broad, philosophical question, make sure that you can tie it to
two or three "real world" situations.
In the end, the best topics come out of a negotiation between the specific
and the general, between the things that interest you the most and the
larger interests of the topic itself. Working up from your interests and
down through the topic should help you arrive at a workable midway point,
where you can find a topic that works well for the class, and works well
for you as well.
Remember, in the end you only have about 12 pages to explore your topic,
make your argument, and/or ask and answer the questions that mean most
to you. That means you also need to find a topic that will work in that
amount of space. Picking something too specific means you won't be able
to find a lot of research material and you won't be able write a long
enough research essay. On the other hand, picking a really broad topic
might seem like a good idea because there will be a lot of material you
can use, but you won't be able to account for this material in 12 pages,
nor will you be able to make a satisfactory argument in that amount of
space.
In the end, check with your instructor as you go along. She or he will
be able to help you narrow a broad topic, or broaden a narrow topic.
Does the topic interest me?
Once you've done all this work, step back and make sure it's the topic
you want. Remember, you're going to spend fourteen weeks researching and
writing about this topic. Make it as pleasant an experience as possible
by picking a topic that will interest you. Are you fascinated by
the stories you read in association with this topic? Do you lose track
of time while you're doing your research? Does your research make you
think differently about a situation, an idea, or a group of people? If
you've answered yes to these questions, you've probably picked a topic
that will keep you interested.
But a word of advice: some students choose a topic because it directly
affects them in some way. While this is a very good starting point for
finding a topic, make sure that you'll be able to maintain some perspective
on the topic and the ideas. While emotionally challenging and difficult
research can result in excellent work, if the topic you choose involves
research that is too personally painful, choose something else. Don't
put yourself through fourteen weeks of torture.
After all, this is going to be a long semester, and this is
going to be hard work. The best way to survive all that work is to care
about the work you do. That's one very important way in which 201 is different
from something like 101. YOU make the decision about your project, so
YOU can choose something that will interest you enough to get the work
done.
Is it researchable?
Now that you've found a topic that interests you, you have to make sure
that it's reasearchable; in other words, you need to make sure that you
can find information about this topic from a variety of sources. This
part involves some legwork. Use the library catalogs and indexes to find
books and articles that are related to your topic. If you can only find
2 or 3 sources out of books, articles, and websites, you need to find
another topic (or you need to search a bit more broadly). If you think
you've found 15 or 20 sources, go to the library and take a preliminary
look at them. Are key terms and events from your topic mentioned in the
table of contents or the indexes? How many pages does each book or article
devote to your topic? You may find 20 sources, but if each source only
has 1-2 pages on your topic, then you may need to rethink your topic.
What kinds of sources have you found? Are they books, articles, and web
sites written by scholars, government agencies, or industry experts? If
you can only find references in popular magazines like Time or
Newsweek, or on personal web sites like "Uncle Earl's Guide
to New Jersey Fishing Holes," then you need to change your topic.
This is another good time to consult with your instructor. She or he can
help you find new sources or think of other ways to look for material
to support your work. Or, he or she might be able to help you modify your
topic just enough to open up more possibilities for sources.
Keeping your topic
Doing research is like finding your way out of a maze. You will sometimes
make wrong turns and run into dead ends. But when you run into a dead
end, you can't just give up. Instead, you need to backtrack and allow
your research to take you in new directions. If you can't find enough
information about a specific part of your topic, move on to another idea
that has more information. Allow the questions you ask in your research
on the topic to change. Remember that this is a process; you will discard
old ideas and embrace new ones as you do your work. Don't lose all of
that time and effort you spent doing your research by starting a new topic
halfway through the semester. Allow your topic to grow and change through
the process of writing and researching.
Now, once you have a topic, you need to figure out how to research it
and for that you'll need a good search strategy.
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