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Finding the balance between too broad and too narrow a topic is often a matter of trial and error. You may find that once you start your research, your original topic will evolve into something different. If you need any assistance refining your topic, consult a reference librarian.

Sections:

• Narrowing a Topic
• Broadening a Topic
• Additional Resources

Narrowing a Topic

Are you overwhelmed by the amount of information available? You may need to narrow your topic. Here are some suggestion on how to narrow a topic:

• Start by phrasing your subject or general topic in the form of a question. For example, if you have been asked to write about Transcendentalism, you might phrase your topic as "What was Transcendentalism?"
  
• Next, look for resources which provide background information. Some selected general and specialized subject sources can help narrow the topic. See the library guide to Finding Background Information for assistance.
  
• Use the "5 Ws" of journalism to limit your topic based on the background information you have found. These are:
  
  • Who? Limit your topic to a specific person or group.
    Example: What was Transcendentalism to Ralph Waldo Emerson?
    
  • What? Limit your topic to a particular aspect of the topic or discipline.
    Example: What were the religious aspects of Transcendentalism?
    
  • Where? Limit your topic to a particular place or region.
    Example: What was the New England influence on Transcendentalism?
    
  • When? Limit your topic to a particular period of time.
    Example: What was the impact of the US-Mexican War (1846-1848) on Transcendentalism?
    
  • Why? Ask why the topic is important, particularly with respect to your class and field of study.
    Example: Why should we consider Transcendentalism to be an important literary movement?

  You can combine multiple limiters to further narrow your topic.

• Use the library's online catalog to identify specific subject headings that relate to your search. Start with keywords based on the limited topic question that you have composed. Search for those keywords using a "subject keyword" search.
  
  For example, a "subject keyword" search on "Transcendentalism" in the Southwestern online catalog finds 41 records. A "subject keyword" search on "Emerson Transcendentalism" finds only 5. The first record reads as follows:

  Author:
  Cameron, Kenneth Walter, 1908-

  Title:
  Emerson the essayist; an outline of his philosophical development through 1836 with special emphasis on the sources and interpretation of Nature, also bibliographical appendices of general and special interest to students of American literature, emphasizing Thoreau, Emerson, the Boston Library Society, and selected documents of New England transcendentalism.

  Subject:
  Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882.
  Transcendentalism (New England)
  Intellectuals --Books and reading --New England.

Many subject headings in the online catalog are divided into subheadings that define time periods, geographical location, or specific aspects of a topic. In this example, the subject heading "Intellectuals" has the subheadings "Books and reading" and "New England."

• Use electronic databases to help you find articles on your topic. Like the online catalog, most electronic databases have subject headings that you can use to limit your search. Also, consider selecting predefined limits, often available in the "Advanced Search" option. Most databases will let you limit by year, publication type (book chapter or article), full text, and even language. The guide to Databases A-Z gives descriptions of the electronic databases available through the library.
  
• Remember to use Boolean operators and other advanced search techniques to help limit the results you get from databases and Internet searches. The Duke University Libraries' guide to Electronic Searching provides helpful information about how these operators work. Also consult the "Help" function of whatever search engine or database you use, sometimes found in the "About" or "Advanced Search" area, to see what operators and search techniques it recommends.
  
  • AND and NOT connectors are the most important Boolean operators used in electronic databases for narrowing a search. Contrary to our ordinary way of thinking about the term "and," as a Boolean operator AND forces the database to retrieve fewer records by requiring the database to return only records that use all the terms you've listed.
    
  • For example, "transcendentalism AND religion" will retrieve only results that include both the terms "transcendentalism" and "religion," although the words may not appear together. A search for "transcendentalism NOT thoreau" will eliminate any record that contains the term "transcendentalism" that also includes the term "thoreau."
    
• Finally, answer the limited topic question you have composed. This answer will become the thesis of your paper, and you will support this thesis with the evidence you have gathered through your research and reading.

  Limited topic question: What did Ralph Waldo Emerson consider to be the most important religious aspect of Transcendentalism?

  Thesis: Ralph Waldo Emerson considered the most important religious aspect of Transcendentalism to be its focus on the innate sense of morality available to every person who is receptive to universal spiritual truths.

Broadening a Topic

Sometimes, the problem isn't that you have too much information available on your topic, it's that you can't find enough! In that case, you may need to broaden your topic. Here are some suggestions on how to broaden a topic:

• After composing your topic question as described above, remove or alter your limiters to make it broader. For example, add a second person or group, or expand the time period in which you are interested.
  
• Use the online catalog to find related or broader subject headings. For example, if you found the subject heading "Transcendentalism (New England)," try do a search for the subject keyword "Transcendentalism" by itself. Some subject headings also have "See Also" references -- and links that identify other related or broader subjects.
  
• Use Boolean operators in your searches to retrieve more results when using databases or Internet search engines.
  
  • You can use the word OR between terms to broaden a search in any electronic database. The more terms you link together with OR, the broader your search becomes -- for example, "air pollution OR water pollution."
    
  • The OR connector is also useful when you want to enter synonyms for a word so you do not miss any pertinent material -- for example, "motion pictures OR movies OR films."
    
  • Drop the end of a word in an electronic database and replace it with a truncation symbol. This symbol can differ among electronic databases. The question mark (?), asterisk (*), and pound sign (#) are most frequently used -- for example, "environment?," would retrieve "environments," "environmental," "environmentalists," etc.
    
  • Remember to consult the "Help" function of whatever search engine or database you use, sometimes found in the "About" or "Advanced Search" area, to see what operators and search techniques it recommends.

Additional Resources

If you need more help refining your topic, consider looking at some of the following resources. You are also welcome to come in and talk with a reference librarian, especially about getting the most useful results from our online catalog or electronic databases.

• The "Duke Guide to Library Research" has a section on Refining the Topic with a useful section on doing subject heading searches. This guide includes many other useful resources, such as a section on Electronic Searching that covers many advanced search techniques.
  
• The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) has an excellent tutorial on "Writing a Research Paper" by Sarah Hamid. It includes sections on scope, refining the topic, and composing the thesis or research question.
  
• The University of Washington Libraries' "Research 101" tutorial includes components on Broadening and Narrowing topics, as well as suggestions for using vocabulary to help you describe your topic.
  
• The UCLA College Library has a Help Guide on "How to Narrow or Broaden Your Topic" that includes a "Research Topic Focusing Worksheet" you may find helpful. You can fill the form out online and email it to yourself, or print it out for offline use.

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