Quick tip for narrowing a topic
Too many results? Another option for narrowing down your topic is to ask Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?
Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints Tutorial
Librarian
Select a Topic
Browse some topic lists:
- 301 Prompts For Argumentative Writing: An extensive PDF list of topics divided into subject areas from the New York Times Learning Network.
- ProCon: Non-profit and non-partisan information organization that presents a list of controversial topics divided into subject areas.
Find articles in the Library's databases:
Search the Library's online databases to find a wide range of possible topics. Search the following databases to find a topic about a current issue:
- CQ Researcher This link opens in a new windowEach issue examines a single "hot" topic with comments from experts, lawmakers and citizens on all sides of every issue. Includes charts, graphs and sidebar articles -- plus a pro-con feature, a chronology, lengthy bibliographies and a list of contacts.
- Opposing Viewpoints in Context This link opens in a new windowDatabase of contemporary social issues with content structured to promote critical-thinking skills. It contains reference book titles, pro and con viewpoint articles, and a variety of periodicals, podcasts, reviewed Web links, images, statistical tables, charts, and graphs.
From Oakton's catalog:
The following book has information on how to pick a topic and refine it:
The Curious Researcher by Call Number: LB2369 .B246 2012 (DPC & RHC)ISBN: 9780205172870Publication Date: 2011
Narrowing and Broadening topics -- what does that look like?
Depending on the scope of your research and the availability of information resources on your topic, you may need to either look for a more general topic (broadening) or a more specific topic (narrowing).
Investigating a topic often leads to more narrowly focused material.