Selecting Your Topic
What you already know about your topic will determine at what point you begin the research process. If you don't know much about the subject area you may need to start by getting more background information. Consider these key elements:
- Analyze what you know and don't know about your interest area.
- Do some exploratory reading in general or topical encyclopedias to gain a fuller understanding of the topic.
- Determine what you want to know more about.
- Determine if your topic focus needs to be: historical, comparative, theoretical, or interdisciplinary.
If you have the option to choose your own topic, use these guides to help you pick a topic.
- When You Start To Write (from OWL)
- Thought Starters (from OWL)
- Quick Stops for Topics (from Hicks Undergraduate Library