Choosing a Topic
Choosing a topic is an important part of the research process. Make sure to choose a topic that is interesting to you. Your topic should be reasonably narrow and clearly defined. As you begin your preliminary search, if you are not locating enough material you can broaden your topic or narrow if you are finding to much. Keywords within the literature can help you with this.
Example searches:
- cybersecurity
- disaster planning
- disaster relief
- emergency management
- emergency flood planning
- emergency preparedness
- evacuation planning
- hazardous substances
- natural disaster
- risk assessment
eReference
Reference ebooks (ex. encyclopedias, handbooks) are a great place to start for background information on your topic. They can also help in choosing and narrowing your topic. eReference for psychology can be found in the following databases.
- Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new window An online full text collection of electronic reference books in a variety of subject areas.
- Sage Knowledge This link opens in a new window A searchable collection of over 90 encyclopedias and handbooks in the social and behavioral sciences, business, education and health, and history.
Here are examples of books you'll find:
NARROWING A TOPIC
Narrowing Your Topic
The video will help give you ideas on how to select a subtopic (or narrow down) within the broader topic you have been given to research research.
Click the image to view the video.
