"Choosing a Manageable Research Topic: Avoiding pitfalls."
Beginning researchers often pick a broad, general topic, thinking that big topics are easier to research. But some topics are just too big...think of topics such as global warming, eating disorders, media violence, or physical fitness. They're so big, they can easily overwhelm your research project.
Problems with big topics:
You cannot adequately cover such a large topic in a brief paper.
You will be overwhelmed with research material.
You cannot research or write about a topic if you cannot define it clearly.
Solution: Ask Who? What? Where? When? How?
Let's say my topic is the benefits of exercise. Ask, Who might benefit? Maybe: women, smokers, overweight children, the elderly... Ask, What kind of benefits? Maybe: lose weight, improve mental awareness, reduce stress, lower blood pressure... Using some of those ideas, I can turn a big, vague topic like "benefits of exercise" into a more manageable topic: "Can exercise improve memory and cognition in the elderly?"
To narrow your topic, focus on:
More examples: for the topic "eating disorders," focus on a cause or effect: "Do genetics contribute to anorexia nervosa?" For the topic "voting," focus on a group of people: "Are there gender differences in American voting patterns?" For the topic "death penalty," focus on an argument or viewpoint: "Does the death penalty qualify as a form of 'cruel and unusual' punishment?"
Question: Which of these research topics is the most manageable size?
A. the history of the civil rights movement
B. how sexual images in the media affect teenagers' attitudes about sex
C. cloning
D. the consequences of World War II
E. life in the Roman empire
The correct answer is B. This topic addresses a common subject (sex in the media) by looking at a specific aspect of the issue (the effect on teenagers' attitudes). The other topics are all extremely broad and would be difficult to research.
The general topic assigned for your research project is "how gender affects life in society." Which of these would make a good alternative?
A. gender roles in daily life
B. what factors contribute to the under-representation of women in the sciences
The answer is B. Topic A is still much too broad.
Of course, some topics are too small, making published information difficult or impossible to find. Let's consider a fanciful topic: "How do Martians in the Inland Empire cope with the stress of being chased by ravenous orange monsters?" The focus is too tight! This topic has a specific group, in a specific place, having a specific condition, and a specific psychological effect. If your topic is too small, try removing or broadening some of the specific conditions. But be careful not to make the topic too broad again...or that monster may come back to get you.
Question: Which of these topics is probably too narrow?
A. smoking prevention programs for Asian youth in San Gorgonio High School
B. smoking prevention programs
C. attitudes towards smoking among Asian Americans
D. smoking prevention programs in the public schools
E. features of effective smoking prevention programs
The answer is A. The second topic is too broad, while the others are probably manageable.
Defining your topic also involves choosing keywords, often the toughest part of the research process. Try the OLLIE tutorial on Choosing Keywords.
You've reached the end of this tutorial unit.