A strong research paper starts with a focused and specific topic. This discussion will help you practice narrowing a broad subject step by step. You will choose your own topic and refine it by asking defining questions, conducting preliminary research, and developing a clear research question.

Discussion Instructions

STEP 1: Pick any broad topic that interests you. It could be related to your major, a social issue, a historical event, a scientific advancement—anything you might be expected to research in a college course. Once you have chosen a topic, list at least five specific areas within your topic that you could explore.

• Example: If the broad topic you choose is technology, possible subtopics could include cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, wearable devices, technology’s impact on health, or automation in the workplace.

STEP 2: Choose one of your listed topics and do some quick research using general sources (Google, Wikipedia, news articles, etc.). Then, summarize three key ideas you found about your topic.

• Example: If the specific area within technology that you chose to explore is technology’s impact on health, you might find the following ideas in your preliminary research:
  • Studies show that social media usage is linked to increased anxiety and depression.
  • 3D-printed prosthetics make medical devices more affordable.
  • Excessive screen time can cause vision problems and sleep disturbances.

STEP 3: From your three key ideas, choose one to narrow it down even further. Focus on a specific angle, population, or application. Then, write your final narrowed topic as a research question.

• Example: If you choose to continue exploring technology’s impact on health, you may narrow that down further into social media and mental health, and then further to Instagram’s impact on teen anxiety. In that case, your research question may be: “How does Instagram usage affect anxiety and self-esteem in teenagers?”

STEP 4: Write a post that includes:

• Your original list of five topic ideas (from step 1).
• The topic you chose and three key ideas from your research (from step 2).
• An explanation of how you narrowed your focus, and your final research question (from step 3).
• A brief reflection: What did you learn about choosing and refining research topics?

STEP 5: Respond in two separate posts to two classmates (in at least 75 words). In your response, you can:

• Write about how you might approach the same topic, and how it is similar or different from your classmate’s.
• Suggest an alternative way to narrow their topic.
• Introduce a different angle they might explore.
• Pose a thought-provoking question to push their research further.

Rubric