Writing a Research Paper: Narrow Your Topic

Topic Example:
 

You could write thousands of pages on global warming, but narrowing your focus to the impact of rising sea levels on coastal wetlands will give you a manageable topic and a clear purpose.

How do I narrow my topic?

When analyzing your topic, ask: who, what, where, when, why and how?

• Who are the significant players? Who was impacted?
• What are the components or aspects of the topic will you explore?
• Where does your event take place? What locations are impacted by your topic?
• When did the event occur and/or what is the significance of the time period on your event?
• Why does this topic matter?
• How does this topic impact society?

Use resources on this page to help you learn how to narrow your topic.
Need more help? Send your request to an SJCC Librarian or schedule a session for a 20-minute appointment.

A common challenge when beginning to write a research paper is determining how to narrow down your topic. Even if your professor gives you a specific topic to study, it will almost never be so specific that you won’t have to narrow it down at least to some degree [besides, it is very boring to grade fifty papers that are all about the exact same thing!].

A topic is too broad to be manageable when you find that you have too many different, and oftentimes conflicting or only remotely related, ideas about how to investigate the research problem.

Source: https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/narrowtopic

Watch the following video tutorial which demonstrates the process of narrowing your topic. View this video in its entirety on YouTube. 

Source: KState Libraries. How to Develop a Good Research Topic. YouTube. 20 Aug. 2013.