Skip to Main Content
home

Information Literacy & Critical Appraisal: Developing a Research Topic

Choose a Research Topic

Choosing a good research topic or question is a key step in making your paper or project a success! Your topic is the base for all the planning, searching, writing, and creating you’ll do to finish your project. Since picking and developing a topic can be one of the hardest parts, this guide will help you through the process.

A good Research Question

A good research question should be:

Open for debate

In many assignments, your teacher may ask you to argue for or against an issue or support a theory. This means your topic should be something that people can discuss or have different opinions about.

You’ll also need to use evidence to back up your argument. Find facts, data, and other information to support your ideas. Your argument should be about something that can be studied, measured, or supported with research.

The right size for your assignment

Your teacher probably didn’t ask you to write a whole book or create new research. Keep your topic manageable! Choose one that’s big enough to write about but focused enough to cover well in the space you have.

Example: “Climate Change” is too broad, but topics like “melting polar ice” or “extreme weather” are more specific.

Interesting to you

This part is super important! You’ll likely spend a lot of time on your project, so pick a topic you find fun or exciting. When you’re interested, it’s easier to come up with creative ideas and enjoy the process, which can lead to even better research.

Getting started

Not sure where to begin with a research idea or question? We recommend trying the following steps to get started.

Start with a Broad Idea

  • immigration
  • artificial intelligence
  • climate change
  • factory farming
  • diversity
  • health care
  • social media
  • poverty

Find information to fill in the blanks

You’ll need some background information to learn more about your general topic and narrow it down to specific ideas you can explore in your research project.

As you look for information, try answering these questions to guide you:

  • What is _______________?
  • Who is involved in _______________?
  • Why is _______________ important?
  • How does _______________ work?
  • When and where does _______________ happen?

These questions can help you focus your research and find key details to develop your topic further.

We recommend the following library resources:

What do you want to learn?

After gathering information, think about what you want to learn more about.

Write down as many ideas as possible—these are the first drafts of your research question. For example:

  • What is factory farming, and why is it a problem?
  • What is the main goal of factory farming?
  • Is factory farming cruel to animals?

Next, underline or circle the key terms in your questions.

Example: How does factory farming increase food production?

These key terms are your keywords for searching. Be creative and use synonyms to get better results.

Example: Factory Farming

  • Synonyms or Related Keywords: Agriculture, Animal Industry, Meat Consumption, Meat Industry, Farming, Agricultural Economics, Intensive Farming

Remember, it’s okay if your question changes!

Research is a process, and your ideas may evolve as you explore new information.

Finally, don’t hesitate to ask for help.

Librarians can assist you in finding resources, and writing tutors at the Learning Center can help you refine your topic, create an outline, or brainstorm ideas. Visit the Learning Center Homepage for more support!

 

Ask A Librarian

We a can help you learn how to use the library's online resources to get started with your research, locate books, or answer other general questions. Contact a librarian by
email: library@corning-cc.edu
phone: 607-962-9251
or schedule an appointment.

Library Hours