In most of your academic writing classes, you'll be able to select almost any topic you'd like to research. This can be both exciting and overwhelming! But it doesn't have to be too difficult. When selecting a research topic, it’s important to select a topic that is interesting to you.
Here are some questions to kickstart your topic brainstorming:
We also recommend using a mind map (see below) to further develop topic ideas.
A mind map or concept map is a visual representation of what you know about a topic. Concept maps help you organize your thoughts and explore the relationships in a topic. Use a concept map to organize and represent what you know about a topic. Explore the connections between elements of the topic.
Mind maps can be used to develop a research topic. They are a useful brainstorming tool that helps you focus your topic, and identify possible search terms before using the library's databases to search for articles for your assignments.
Most of the time you start with the central idea, topic, or subject. Then you branch out from that central point and show how the main idea can be broken into specific subtopics. Each subtopic can also be broken into even more specific topics. Always review your map to add more related terms and concepts.
Ask yourself:
Aviation Safety mind map created by Fatima Embalo in Mindomo.
Whether you're searching using OneSearch or another library database, there are certain strategies you can use to ensure you find the kind of information for which you're looking. When you use search engines like Google, you're able to type in whole questions or phrases. Library databases, however, are much more specific.
First, we select the main search terms that relate to our topic. The database works best with nouns. Eliminate any articles (of, to, is, the), adjectives (best, worst, good, bad), and most verbs (affect, change, alter, support).
Quotation marks are used to tell databases to search for words in a certain order. This is especially useful for specific topics that can't be boiled down to a single word.
This is also helpful when searching for the title of a specific source!
We then connect our search terms. This is what we'll actually type into a database search box. Search strings work best when they're limited to no more than four search terms—otherwise, your search will be too narrow!
Search Strings Using ANDWhen you connect your search terms using AND, the database will search for books, articles, and more which contain all your search terms. Search strings using AND narrow our search.
Search Strings Using OR and ParenthesesSearch strings using OR help us expand our search and find more results. Often, OR is used in conjunction with parenthesis. OR on its own can often bring back too many results, so the parentheses help keep the database from bringing up off-topic resources:
You may want to exclude certain concepts from your research. This can be done using the word NOT. Search strings using NOT help us narrow our search and find results that are more relevant to our topic.
If you're struggling with your searches, please contact a librarian!