Choosing a Research Topic

Choosing a Research Topic

Has this ever happened to you? You are in class, and your instructor shares "great news:" you get to pick your own topic for your research assignment! With so many potential topics out there, where do you begin? How do you choose a topic that is right for your assignment? This guide will walk you through how to come up with a strong and concise research topic.

Remember, doing research is a process. It is normal and common if you need to backtrack or rework your research topic a few times to get it right. If you need help coming up with a research topic, be sure to Ask a Librarian!

In this guide, you will learn about what makes a good research topic. Then you will learn how to start brainstorming by using a concept map. Next, we will go over how to do background research on a topic, and end with narrowing your topic into a thesis statement.

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