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Starting Your Research

Developing a Topic

When selecting a research topic, it’s important to select a topic that is interesting to you. In some courses, you may be allowed to select any topic A librarian assisting two studentsyou’d like. This can be both exciting and overwhelming! If you’re having trouble, ask yourself:

  • What do I care about? 
  • What problems do I wish I could solve?
  • What do I want to learn more about?

If you’re still having trouble coming up with a topic, try problematizing an issue or the existing state of things. This involves challenging underlying assumptions or the status quo and seeing the world as you believe it should be, rather than as it is.
a chalk drawing of a stick figure crawling up stairs toward a light bulb, representing an idea
Ask yourself:

  • Who does the status quo benefit? 
  • Who does it harm?
  • If the status quo were to change, what would the world look like?
  • How might that change happen? 

These last two questions are great questions to help guide your research!

How to Develop a Researchable Topic

Background Research

If you're still struggling to find a topic, there are some great resources to help you find your inspiration! Background research can help you select keywords and find interesting subtopics to explore!  Try googling topics about which you're interested, reading a few recent news articles, digging into Wikipedia, or using one of the library's tools below.

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