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Research & Writing: Getting Started

Getting Started with Research

On this page you’ll find a suggestions on how to develop your research topic and generate appropriate keywords for searching in the databases.  

Narrowing your Research Topic

Focusing your Topic

Where? A region? Another Country? In the United States?

Time Frame? A time period? Last 5 years? Last week?

Perspective? Is this an opinion paper? What is your position? Evidence?

Purpose? What are you trying to prove? What is the purpose? Who is your audience you are writing to?

Population? Men? Women? Teenagers? Children? Who are you writing about?

Anything Else? What detail is missing?

 

 

Finding Helpful Keywords

 

Research question example: How has communications improved through the use of social media in the past five years?

 

Next step: Finding related terms to your key concepts.

Using the chart below, fill in your key concepts their synonyms.

 

Key Concept

Synonyms

Communications

Interaction, connection, exchange, interpersonal relationships, relationships

Social Media

Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat
   

 

  

Broadening your Research Topic

Broadening your Topic

Where? In the United States? Another Country? A region?

Time Frame? Last week? Last 10 years? A time period?

Perspective? Is this an opinion paper? Is it a literature review? A general research paper?

Purpose? Who is your audience ? What is the question you are answering? What are you trying to prove? 

Population? Women above 65? Older adults? Adults? Who are you writing about?

Anything Else? What details can be added to expand your topic?

Research Questions to Ask Yourself 

1.) Where should you start looking for background information?

Is this a current event? Look at the news, social media, events.

Is this something with history? What time frame are you looking at? Look for biographical and historical records.

2.) Focus on different perspectives related to your topic:

What are the different positions? What are people saying? What are the professionals and experts in the field saying?

What are the pros and cons? What are the possible benefits or arguments against? 

3.) Now, what's your position? What is your argument? 

Pick a side. If you see both sides, explain why?

Now that you have done background research, you have a position or stance that you could research further. 

Finally! Gather facts to help support your argument or position.