Developing your Research Topic
- Start with a topic that interests you.
- Get Background Information
- Note keywords, names, places, organizations
- Develop your research question
- Is your research question too broad or narrow (some prelimary searching/reading will help you determine this)
- Develop a thesis statement
For example,
Topic keywords: Charter schools
Your Research Question/Interest might be: Do students learn better in charter schools?
Thesis Statement: Students in urban charter schools have better test scores than students in urban public schools.
Scholarly Articles
In your coursework you are expected to use high quality, scholarly sources of information. The following tutorial will help you understand what scholarly sources are.
- Scholarly v. PopularThis 5-minute, self-paced tutorial will introduce you to the differences between Popular and Scholarly articles.
Following the lesson, a quiz will test you on your understanding of the material.
Tips for Effective Search Strategies
Searching works best when you have a research question in mind. You should be able to identify key concepts related to your research. These concepts form the basis for your search terms.
Know your topic. Exploring general sources (a chapter in your textbook, an encyclopedia article or other background reading) is a good way to start. The better you understand a topic, the easier it is to evaluate sources.
What is your purpose? Are you writing an argumentative or persuasive paper? Or, are you analyzing the research on a topic? Perhaps you are developing a slide presentation based on your evaluation of key sources.
Start early. Until you have done some searching and reading, you might not recognize if your topic is too broad or narrow.
Don't wait until the last minute. Good resources may not be available locally. Allow yourself time for an interlibrary loan.
Select resources appropriate for your topic. Your professor may ask that you use only peer-reviewed journals. Other professors may want you to use a combination of texts and articles, or news sources. Perhaps you will be doing primary research using interviews or observations.
Have a Question? Contact a Librarian:
By phone
Call 973-720-2116
The Reference Desk is staffed until 10PM Sunday-Friday and until 8:00pm on Saturday.
By e-mail
Send your question to the Reference Desk via email - refdesk@wpunj.edu Allow 24 hours for a response.
Schedule a Research Appointment
Contact the library for an appointment with a Reference Librarian: Schedule Research Help
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