FAQ: How do I refine or narrow down my topic?
After you pick your topic, you might find that you need to broaden or narrow it in order to fit the scope of your assignment. Try asking yourself these questions to help you think about your topic selection. These questions can also help you as you prepare to write your thesis statement and conduct your research.
Who?
Who am I researching?
- Consider age, gender, profession, ethnicity, humans vs. animals vs. corporations, etc.
What?
What am I researching?
- Consider potential causes and effects, trends, statistics, problems, etc.
When?
What time period am I interested in?
- Consider when the topic became significant, century vs. specific dates, historical vs. current data, etc.
Where?
Where is my research topic taking place?
- Consider country, state, city, urban vs. rural, environments like prisons vs. college towns, etc.
Why?
Why does my research matter?
- Consider what makes it important to you, to your colleagues and peers, to your community, to the world, etc.
