WR122 Ormandy

The research process isn't straight line! Learn about the multi-step process you go through as you explore a topic, learn about it, and present information on it.

Screen blank or would like Closed Captioning? Watch the YouTube video.

  Video created by CCC Library (June 2016).

Refining your topic.

It can be helpful to ask yourself some questions about your topic in order to make it easier to research. Here are some examples:

• Did you pick option 1 or 2 for the paper? What are you writing about?
• What do you want more information about?
• Is there anything that you are confused about or need to know more about before continuing your research?
• What about the topic interests you the most?
• Are you interested in a specific population (such as college students, millennials, or people experiencing homelessness)?
• Are you interested in a specific location (such as Portland, China, forests, or community colleges)?
• Are you interested in a specific time frame or era (such as the 1980s, the 21st century, or the stone age)?
• Is there anything you are specifically NOT interested in learning about that is related to your topic (such as The Rock, but not rocks)?

You can also try re-phrasing your topic to explain it to a friend or someone who doesn't know as much as you do about it.

Not sure where to start? Want a bit more help developing a topic or developing a thesis? Take a look at our Research Help guide!