Choose a Topic

Video overview of the process

What's the difference between a topic and a research question? Watch this short video from Steely Library at Northern Kentucky University and try it out for yourself.

Before you begin

Settling on a topic to research can seem overwhelming. Choose a topic that is interesting to you and relevant to the assignment. A topic that is too broad will give you too much information, and a topic that is too narrow will make it hard to find sources. Finally, give yourself plenty of time to get the work done. Don't wait until the last minute!


Choosing a topic

Sometimes your teacher will assign you a topic to research, such as:

  • Athens or Sparta? Which is the better society?

  • Should school uniforms be mandatory?

  • Should homework be abolished?

  • What are the benefits to making school lunch free to all students?

For other assignments, you may only be limited by a due date or a general subject area. Being free to choose almost anything at all can be intimidating. How can you narrow millions of possibilities down to one research topic?


Narrowing a topic

You may not know right away what your research question is. Start by finding information on a broad topic so that you can figure out what it is about that topic that you find interesting. Your interests should help you narrow the topic. If you are interested in dogs in general, and working dogs in particular, you can explore the different jobs dogs are trained to do. Police dogs, dogs that are trained to assist humans with medical conditions, and sled dogs are all examples of working dogs.

There are two questions to keep in mind while narrowing your topic:

  • Am I interested in this topic?

  • Can I find more information about this topic?

If the answer to either of these questions is NO, you might want to shift your topic choice.

From topic to research question

After narrowing a topic and finding background information, add focus with a research question. You can narrow your topic of working dogs in any of the following ways:

  • How do therapy dogs help children with autism?

  • How do therapy dogs help veterans with PTSD?

  • What training is necessary for a dog to race in the Iditarod?

  • Are alert dogs effective for people with diabetes?


Research Questions

Look at the chart on the right for more examples of how to turn a broad topic into a focused research question. Being specific will help you find sources that are a good fit for your research.