1.2 Creating a Topic
Before you can dive in and start looking for information, you need to have a topic. Spending time selecting a good topic can make the research process go much more smoothly.
Here are some questions to keep in mind as you create a topic:
A good topic needs to be "researchable”—you need to be able to back up your topic with supporting evidence and facts. A good topic can't be answered with a simple yes or no. A good topic will give you room to explore, to argue, or to persuade.
Coming up with an idea for a topic can be challenging, but there are many places to find inspiration:
Here are some questions to keep in mind as you create a topic:
- Does it fit the scope of the assignment?
- Is it interesting to you?
- Is it “researchable”?
- Can it be answered with more than a simple yes or no?
A good topic needs to be "researchable”—you need to be able to back up your topic with supporting evidence and facts. A good topic can't be answered with a simple yes or no. A good topic will give you room to explore, to argue, or to persuade.
Coming up with an idea for a topic can be challenging, but there are many places to find inspiration: