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Narrowing Your Topic

You want to make sure that your research topic is specific and manageable. To narrow down a big topic, consider the following:

  • Answer questions like "who, what, why, when, where, and how" to begin thinking about your topic.  
  • Find sources on your topic and read! Consider these questions as you read: 
    • What is interesting to you about this topic? 
    • What are experts saying about this topic? 
    • What problems are associated with this topic?  
    • Do you notice anything missing in discussions on this topic?  

Here is an example of narrowing down a topic: 

  • Too broad: Mental health of students
  • More specific: Mental health of college students
  • Even more specific: Factors influencing the stress levels of first-year college students 

Further Guidance

  • The sources you find during this background research stage may not end up in your final essay, but keep track of them just in case! Start a references list in a Word document and put all sources you read there.
     
  • Download articles from the Conestoga College Library and save them to a folder on your computer. 
     
  • Do not worry about doing any writing during this research stage. The purpose of this stage is to learn about your topic and narrow the overall focus of your paper. You don't need to write in full paragraphs just yet! 

There are resources through Library and Learning Services at Conestoga to help you with your research: 

  • You can access high-quality sources – like journal articles, books, and other sources – through the Library for free. Watch this short video to learn about how to get started with library research:

     
  • Library staff can recommend online resources (e.g., article databases, eBooks) for your research and can demonstrate how to use these effectively. Keep in mind that staff will not select resources for your research paper. You can chat online, attend a workshop, and/or book an appointment here: