How to Select a Topic for a Research PaperHow to Write Education-Related Copy How to Write a Successful College Personal Statement How to Create a Writing Schedule for a Research Paper" How to Select a Topic for a Research Paper How to Write a Thesis Statement for a Research Paper How to Write an Outline for a Research Paper How to Conduct Research for Your Research Paper How to Sit Down and Actually Start Writing a Research Paper © 2009-2010 Ugur Akinci TOPIC – The topic for a Research Paper is either assigned by the instructor (in which case you'd have little choice) or chosen by the student. If you are allowed to choose your own topic make sure it'd be something that you are genuinely interested in. Otherwise it'd be hard to maintain your focus and enthusiasm for the many months that it takes to start and finish a research paper. It's important to realize that a topic should be specific enough to allow the formulation of an interesting Thesis Statement, yet general enough to be analyzed and brought to a conclusion on the Schedule Deadline. For example, "politics" is not a good topic at all since it's too general. You have to narrow it down to something that would yield an interesting Thesis Statement (see how we're subconsciously already working on the Thesis Statement step?). One of the best ways I know to detail out a general topic is to draw a CLUSTER DIAGRAM. This is how you do it: Write your general topic in the center of a standard size copy paper (8.5" x 11") and circle it. Then draw SPOKES extending outward from this central HUB. Start writing whatever comes to your mind — ANYTHING RELATED to your general topic. Free associate without any internal censorship. For "politics", for example, these might be: Congress; Elections; Money; Corruption; Laws; Compromise; President; Army; Lincoln; etc. Keep branching out further outward by adding more free-association "child" topics connected to their "parent" topics by similar lines. For example, from "Elections" you can branch out to Election machines; Voting fraud; Electoral systems; once in 4 years or 2; racial bias; fundraising; etc. See how a whole wide panorama of politics-related subjects emerge, each more specific and detailed than the previous one? Here is a sample CLUSTER DIAGRAM: While drawing this diagram, your brain will start to fire off all kinds of new questions that cut across different categories and concepts and will start to formulate all kinds of hypothetical questions. That's the beauty of this method. Give yourself at least half a day to draw a big Cluster Diagram by using as big a paper as you need to gel your ideas and let them percolate to the surface naturally. For example, here are some likely thoughts and ramblings you might observe internally as you are developing your Cluster Diagram round the central hub of "politics": Watch your thoughts and internal monologue as you keep drawing the Cluster Diagram… Jot down those floating ideas and ramblings since they may be very valuable in formulating your Thesis Statement. IMPORTANT NOTE: Most students have difficulty in formulating a thesis since they try to do it by kicking their engine live from a cold start. They just want to sit down one day and come up with a "brilliant topic." That's not likely to happen. If you first warm up by drawing a Cluster Diagram it'd be much easier to come up with a juicy hypothesis on the topic. Don’t neglect this crucial step. Try to isolate TWO NOUNS (or NOUN CLAUSES) among the many that will appear on your Cluster Diagram. These should be topics that appear on the outer limbs and branches of the diagram since they would be more specific than the ones that are in the center. The best topics are made of TWO NOUNS connected to each other by "the effect of… on …" For example: "The effect of ELECTORAL GERRYMANDERING on LAW ENFORCEMENT" Or a little more specific: "The effect of ELECTORAL GERRYMANDERING on LAW ENFORCEMENT in New England (Boston?) during the '90s" See how easily topics are generated from a well-developed Cluster Diagram? However, this is still not a thesis. When you specify what you exactly mean by the word "effect" then you'll be on your way to formulating an interesting hypothesis to study in your research paper. We'll examine that next. Have a Great Tip, Photo or Comment About This Topic?Do you have a great tip or photo about this? Something that you believe we should read or see? Contribute and share it today! What Other Visitors Have SaidClick below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
the role of youth in policy formulation and implementation
|
Now you can start focusing on a more specific topic that might allow you to formulate a specific hypothesis and write it as a Thesis Statement.