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Right-Sizing Your Topic
Right-Sizing Your Topic
Is the topic too large ?
Is the topic too large ?
Or too small
How would you know? ~ Get Familiar With Your Topic
How would you know? ~ Get Familiar With Your Topic
Before you make the decision about the size, or scope, of the topic, take some time to gather some background information: read about it, watch video or t.v. program, listen to a discussion of it in a podcast or on radio, and talk to other people about it. Get to know a few things of significance about your topic. Check out databases, for example, Gale PowerSearch has a Topic Finder tool that helps you see various parts of a topic. OR, click here for strategies to help you choose a topic.
Once you've done these things, decide whether your topic is too broad (big), too narrow (small) or just about right. For example, in a 500 word report, you probably would not be able to discuss all of the planets in our solar system. However, you could likely narrow your topic and discuss one planet or compare a couple of planets to show, for example, why Earth is able to support plant life while another is not. On the other hand, if you are supposed to produce 2000 words, you might need to broaden your topic to include a comparison of several planets and/or include not only plant life but animals, as well.
Ask Good Questions
Ask Good Questions
Good Questions Make For Better, More Interesting, More Helpful Research
Good Questions Make For Better, More Interesting, More Helpful Research
There are various types of questions from simple fact and comprehension questions to those that require us to analyze, synthesize and then evaluate what we've learned or produced and make decisions about its value or importance.
Benjamin Bloom created a hierarchy of questions. The first level of this hierarchy is knowledge (facts). In fact, you can't really even ask the right questions until you know some facts about your topic. But fact questions and facts are only the beginning of research. What will ultimately prove to be more interesting is asking questions that require the researcher to analyze (look at the parts of something) and then synthesize (put the pieces together in a new way) and to make judgements. Questions that require this depth of thinking are sometimes called "essential questions."
Here is an example that contrasts two different ways of approaching the same topic.
Knowledge & Comprehension Question
Knowledge & Comprehension Question
You could research and make a chart which answers the question, What are some examples of ambition in the play Macbeth?
Analysis, Synthesis & Evaluation Question
Analysis, Synthesis & Evaluation Question
OR, you could ask the essential question, What does the play Macbeth teach about how or how not to relate to other people, especially when it comes to exercising power? This kind of question requires the researcher not only to gather facts but also to analyze (to notice how the characters relate to one another and the results of those interactions); to synthesize (to think about how the character interactions in Macbeth are similar to real-life interactions), and; to evaluate (to explain what the research has to say about the use or abuse of power in real-life relationships). The results of this research would be far more interesting and helpful than just a simple list of facts and observations.
But don't get the wrong impression, this kind of anlaysis, synthesis and evaluation needs to be founded on facts.
Right-Size Your Topic
Right-Size Your Topic
Here are some ideas suggested by Koechlin and Zwaan to help you right-size your topic:
--> To Narrow a Topic <--
- Brainstorm what you already know about this topic
- Sort your ideas into categories and sub-categories
- Make groups of things, places, ideas, people, etc.
- Breakdown info. into time frames, locations, events or stages
- Think about causes, effects, opinions, arguments & spins on an issue
- Free write questions that come to mind about the topic
- Use Target Your Topic or develop your own organizer to help you narrow down the broad topic to something you are personally keen to research.
Some Additional Resources for Narrowing Your Topic
<-- To Broaden a Topic -->
- Consider other things, places, ideas, people, etc.
- Expand the time frames, locations, events or stages
- Explore causes, effects, opinions, arguments & spins on an issue
- Make use of tables of contents, sub-headings and headings to discover larger context
- Use online catalogue and databases to find related subjects
- Scan "see also" links for related topics
- Free write questions that come to mind about the topic
- Use Target Your Topic --but work from the middle outwards--or develop your own organizer to help you broaden your topic to something you are personally keen to research
Some Additional Resources for Broadening Your Topic
Topic Finder: A Handy Tool for Both Narrowing and Broadening Your Topic
Topic Finder: A Handy Tool for Both Narrowing and Broadening Your Topic
All "Gale" databases (accessible through the "Research" tab on UG2GO) now include a "Topic Finder" tab on their homepage. This tool ranks terms related to your search-term by frequency, meaning that the more often the term appears in the database, the larger its segment. This tool also helps you to identify related aspects of a topic.
Topic Finder has two modes: "Tile" or "Wheel". In both versions, the larger segments indicate broader or more general topics, with more specific topics in smaller tiles or divisions of the wheel. For the wheel, a pink triangle indicates that there are additional topics related to that segment of the ring. Click on the triangle and then hover over the segments to see the topic.
Click here to give it a try. Note: you will need to be logged into UG2GO to access this example. Select the "Research" tab, then "Gale PowerSearch". Once Gale has loaded select "Go to Topic Finder".
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