How to Narrow Your Topic

Example: I’m thinking of doing a paper on “fashion.” This topic could develop in many different ways.

Hint: Ask Yourself Questions About Your Topic:

• What do you know about it? What don’t you know?
• What aspects of your topic interest you: historical, sociological, psychological, etc.?
• What time period do you want to cover?
• On what geographic region do you want to focus?
• What kind of information do you need?
  • a brief summary or a lengthy explanation?
  • periodical articles, books, essays, encyclopedia articles?
  • statistics?

Sample Topic Narrowing Chart:

General Topic:	fashion
Time span:	1920s
Place:	US; urban; big cities (not rural)
Person or group:	youth; college age
Event or Aspects:	attitudes; behavior; sociological

Narrowed Research Question:

What did American youth fashion of the 1920s say about attitudes of this generation?

How to Broaden Your Topic

Example: I’m thinking of doing a paper on “whether genetically altered soybeans are safe for consumers.”

This topic as stated is seeking to answer a question for which there may be no answer yet — more scientific and long-term research may need to be done. How can this be turned into a more manageable topic?

Hint 1: Look for parallels and opportunities for broader associations:

• Could you examine other bioengineered foods, in addition to soybeans?
• Could you think broadly about safety concerns and issues — what might these be?
• Who are the key players in this controversy? Consumer activists? The FDA? Scientists?
• What other issues are involved in this topic? Such as, how should be foods be labeled?

Hint 2: Brainstorm! (and ask a reference librarian!)

Sample Topic Broadening Chart:

Specific Topic:	Are genetically altered soybeans safe for consumers?
Alternate focus:	bioengineered or genetically altered foods
Alternate Place:	general: US, Europe
Brainstorm Focus on: Person or Group:	consumer advocates vs FDA and scientists
Brainstorm Focus on: Event or Aspect:	labeling foods; regulations

Broadened Research Question:

What are the main issues/concerns of consumer activists in the labeling controversy over bioengineered foods?

Once you have chosen a general subject you are interested in researching, you can start to focus on a particular aspect of your topic.  Begin by linking your broad topic with a keyword.	Once you have chosen a general subject you are interested in researching, you can start to focus on a particular aspect of your topic.  Begin by linking your broad topic with a keyword.
Once you have chosen a general subject you are interested in researching, you can start to focus on a particular aspect of your topic.  Begin by linking your broad topic with a keyword.