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Strategies for Lifelong Learning

Picking Your Topic IS Research

1. Develop Topic Ideas

Need help coming up with a topic for your research?

  • Scan your textbook.
  • Browse current journals, magazines and newspapers.
  • Search encyclopedias -- try the Encyclopedia Britannica search box on this page.
  • Discuss topics with your instructor, a librarian or a classmate.

2. Develop Your Research Question

Once you have selected a topic, the next step is to develop research questions.

  • Write down what you already know or don't know about the topic.
  • Use that information to develop questions.

TIPS:

  •    Use probing questions such as why? what if? how?
  •    Avoid "yes" and "no" questions.

3. Identify Keywords

The keywords you use can have a profound impact on the results of your research. Using the “right” words will speed up the research process, while the “wrong” words can bring to it to a halt.

Before you can begin searching for information, you need to identify keywords related to your topic. Key terminology can be easily be found by scanning:

  • Your research questions
  • Articles found from background research
  • Bibliographies found at the end of books and articles

If you are still struggling:

  • Use a thesaurus to identify synonyms -- try the thesaurus search on this page.
  • Brainstorm keywords with a librarian, your instructor, or a friend.

Now You Try It!

Try to reflect on your topic by thinking about as many relevant terms, ideas, people, or places are connected to your topic.  Remember, you don't have to think about putting these into complete sentences, rather, look at the "Finding Keywords" tab for information about how to identify and label your terms.

Use an encyclopedia to discover more information about your topic!

Thesaurus Search

Merriam-Webster Online
Dictionary
Thesaurus