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
- Gale Topic FinderFind new topics or keywords and discover connections to resources found within these results.
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:
- Britannica Academic
The rich combination of the Encyclopædia Britannica plus Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, magazines and periodicals, and many other research tools provides the variety of reliable sources that students need to consult when conducting thorough collegiate research.
- CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
Provides analysis of issues in the news, including health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the environment, technology and the economy.
- Opposing Viewpoints (Gale) This link opens in a new window
Contextual information and opinions on hundreds of today's hottest social issues. It features continuously updated viewpoint articles, topic overviews, full-text magazines, academic journals, news articles, primary source documents, statistics, images, videos, audio files and links to vetted websites.
- Points of View Reference Center (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Points of View Reference Center is a full text database designed to provide students and schools with a series of controversial essays that present multiple sides of a current issue. Essays provide questions and materials for further thought and study and are accompanied by thousands of supporting articles from the world’s top political and societal publications.
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.