Reference
Support: Choosing Your Topic
 What
are you going to research?
Where
can you start or get
ideas?
What
are your assignment requirements?
What
are the keywords or main
concepts that describe
your topic?
What
are you going to research?
When selecting a topic, it's always
wise to choose something that will
motivate you. Pick a paper topic that
appeals to you. Think about the discussions
in classes that were interesting, something
you read in your textbook that you'd
like to pursue further, or just something
of great personal interest.
Where
can you start or get ideas?
- Start by searching
the online
catalog for books. You can also
access catalogs for other libraries
right from our library - so if you
can't find enough books in our library,
maybe another library can help.
- If you have time, interlibrary
loan is a service that enables
you to get books and articles from
nearby libraries. These items are
delivered to our library.
- Consult some basic reference
books, including encyclopedias.
These can provide an overview of
your topic or a specific fact you
might need to make a point. Some
basic ready reference sources are
now available online.
- Look for current
periodical articles (such as
newspapers, magazines, and scholarly
journals) on your topic. You can
search online
databases as well as printed
indexes. A librarian can help you
determine which indexes are available,
and select the most appropriate
ones for your topic.
- Search
the web. The Internet is one
of many resources in the library.
Be familiar with the types of information
to be found on the Internet. Depending
on your topic, it may - or may
not - be of use; it is up to you
to evaluate the
quality of the material you find
on the web. Lists of recommended
internet sources are available
under the subject guides from the
Library's homepage.
- Locate your sources
in the library. The online
catalog will provide location
and call number information for the
books and periodicals.
What
are your assignment requirements?
To complete your research, you'll
need to use various types of information.
In fact, using a variety of resources
may be a requirement of your research
assignment. Answering the following
questions may help you organize your
research:
- What kind of assignment
do you have to complete? (e.g., speech/oral
presentation, 10-page paper, 50-page
Capstone paper)
- Is currency or historical
perspective important?
- What types of publications
do you want to read? What types are
required by your assignment? (Librarians
can help you find newspaper articles,
books, scholarly journal articles,
dissertations, art works, etc.)
- Are primary sources
required? (Primary sources include
research data, letters, interviews,
memoirs, diaries, government documents,
photographs, online digitized collections,
etc.)
- Are secondary sources
required? (Secondary sources include
dictionaries, encyclopedias, textbooks,
and books and articles that interpret
or review the original research.)
- What formats do you
need? (In the course of your research,
you might use visual, audio, printed,
or electronic sources.)
- Is the point of view
of the author an issue? Do you need
opinions or factual information?
What
are the keywords or main concepts
that describe your topic?
Once you have stated your topic as
a question, you need to think about
the significant terms, concepts, and
keywords that describe your topic.
These terms will become the key for
searching online catalogs, databases,
and indexes for information about your
subject. For example:
You can learn more about keyword searching
vs. subject searching by consulting
with a reference librarian
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