First, you will want to understand the difference between a subject and a topic. A subject is broad and general, such as Education or Sports or Film -- too big to be the focus of your research paper. You need to look within the broad subject area to find your topic. A topic is more focused, more precise; it is a narrower subset of a subject. For example: Show
Here are some tips to help you develop a manageable and interesting topic:
This video (4:18 minutes) is really helpful in explaining similar steps to create a good research question: As previously stated, background research on a subject will help you gain a better understanding of the topic. Background research can also help see how your idea relates to broader, narrower, and related issues and help you decide what way to focus on a subject area. For example, you might be interested in the subject of social media. If you look social media up in an encyclopedia it might talk about issues related to it such as privacy or bullying. You then might decide to focus on the topic of social media and privacy. Some places to find background information:
Try any of the library databases below to explore your topic. Once you have enough background information you can begin refining your topic. If you're having trouble finding information on your topic, ask a librarian or your instructor for help.
Be prepared to be flexible! It is common to modify your topic during the research process. You may find too much information and need to narrow your focus, or too little information and need to broaden your focus. This is a normal part of the research process. When researching, you may not wish to change your topic completely, but instead decide that some other aspect of the topic is more interesting or manageable. Here are a few questions to ask yourself to help you narrow your topic:
If you get too few hits, you may need to broaden your focus. You can broaden your topic by choosing a less specific time period, population, geographic area, or discipline - or by eliminating that limit altogether. You can also broaden a topic by choosing a more general term - e.g., Social Media rather than Facebook or Indigenous Peoples rather than Navajo. View this video (3:15 minutes) for an overview of focusing your topic: When possible it is important to review literature that is peer reviewed to help ensure more academic based quality of research?When possible, it is important to review literature that is non-peer-reviewed to help ensure more academic-based quality of research. When trying to locate research, preferably though the university library resources, it is not acceptable to use more than one key word to describe the social problem of interest.
What are the tips you should follow in writing the significance of the study?Tips in Writing the Significance of the Study. Refer to the Problem Statement. In writing the significance of the study, always refer to the statement of the problem. ... . Write it from General to Particular. Determine the specific contribution of your thesis study to society as well as to the individual.. Why is it important to write a strong abstract introduction and conclusion?c Because these are the only sections that contain the research question and overall findings.
Which part of the research paper presents the principal outcomes of the results of the study?The results section of the research paper is where you report the findings of your study based upon the information gathered as a result of the methodology [or methodologies] you applied. The results section should simply state the findings, without bias or interpretation, and arranged in a logical sequence.
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