How To Narrow or Broaden Your Topic

How to narrow your topic How to broaden your topic

How to Narrow Your Topic

Example: I'm thinking of doing a paper on "fashion." This topic could develop in many different ways.

Hint: Ask Yourself Questions About Your Topic:

What do you know about it? What don't you know?
What aspects of your topic interest you: historical, sociological, psychological, etc.?
What time period do you want to cover?
On what geographic region do you want to focus?
What kind of information do you need?

a brief summary or a lengthy explanation?
periodical articles, books, essays, encyclopedia articles?
statistics?

Sample Topic Narrowing Chart:

General Topic:	fashion
Time span:	1920s
Place:	US; urban; big cities (not rural)
Person or group:	youth; college age
Event or Aspects:	attitudes; behavior; sociological

Narrowed Research Question:

What did American youth fashion of the 1920s say about attitudes of this generation?

How to Broaden Your Topic

Example: I'm thinking of doing a paper on "whether genetically altered soybeans are safe for consumers."

This topic as stated is seeking to answer a question for which there may be no answer yet -- more scientific and long-term research may need to be done. How can this be turned into a more manageable topic?

Hint 1: Look for parallels and opportunities for broader associations:

Could you examine other bioengineered foods, in addition to soybeans?
Could you think broadly about safety concerns and issues -- what might these be?
Who are the key players in this controversy? Consumer activists? The FDA? Scientists?
What other issues are involved in this topic? Such as, how should be foods be labeled?

Hint 2: Brainstorm! (and ask a reference librarian!)

Sample Topic Broadening Chart:

Specific Topic:	Are genetically altered soybeans are safe for consumers?
Alternate focus:	bioengineered or genetically altered foods
Alternate Place:	general: US, Europe
Brainstorm Focus on: Person or Group:	consumer advocates vs FDA and scientists
Brainstorm Focus on: Event or Aspect:	labeling foods; regulations

Broadened Research Question:

What are the main issues/concerns of consumer activists in the labeling controversy over bioengineered foods?

Once you have chosen a general subject you are interested in researching, you can start to focus on a particular aspect of your topic. Begin by linking your broad topic with a keyword.

ex) global warming and automobile emissions

ex) sports and steroids

ex) obesity and fast food

If you are having trouble coming up with a keyword related to your topic, try asking open ended questions.

ex) What are the major causes of global warming?

- automobile emissions

Now you can narrow your topic several ways:

- by population or age group

ex) teenagers or men aged 18-35

- by geographical location

ex) Southwest or United States

- by time period

ex) 1997- present or early 1900s

- by specific ethnic group

ex) African Americans

- by discipline or perspective

ex) social or economic or legal

Broad Topic: education

Narrow Topic: education and distance learning

Narrower Topic: education and distance learning and high school students

Too Narrow a Topic: education and distance learning and high school students and 1990-2000

Helpful websites

Narrowing a Research Topic – University of Washington

General Strategies for Narrowing Topics – Colorado State University

How to Narrow or Broaden Your Research Topic – UCLA