Social Sciences - An Introduction to Library Research

STEPS TO CHOOSE A TOPIC

1. Select a broad topic

2. Find background info

3. Narrow the topic

STEP 1 - Select a broad topic

photo credit: tulp (sxc.hu)

Effectively defining your topic will save you time when you start searching for books, articles and other types of information.

Therefore, be sure to choose a topic that is neither too broad nor too narrow and that is manageable within the scope of your assignment.

Unless you have a specific idea, begin by selecting a broad topic such as:

  • immigration
  • violence in sports
  • identity theft
  • gun control
  • inclusiveness
  • foreign relations
  • poverty

STEP 2 - Find background information

After selecting a broad topic, find and read background information to help narrow and focus it.

You can use Wikipedia to learn more about a topic, but try using authoritative and scholarly subject encyclopedias, dictionaries and handbooks available through the Library:

STEP 3 - Narrow the topic

Use the following strategy to narrow a topic:

Example of narrowing a broad topic = Violence in sports

Narrow by element or issue

  • Glorification of sports violence by the media
  • Sports fans' appetite for hockey violence

Narrow by geography

  • Violence in European football
  • Violence in sports and criminal prosecution in Canada

Narrow by time period

  • Comparing Roman gladiators to contemporary UFC fighters
  • Trends in refeering over several decades

Narrow by population

  • Parents' role in preventing violence in children's sports
  • Masculinity and the perception of violence