UGS 303: The Math of Politics / Jessee

This is the step in the research process most students skip at first, but skipping it can cause problems later on in the research process. You may be stuck with a topic that is too broad or imprecise. You may choose a topic that is too obscure and it will be difficult to find evidence to support claims.

Choosing a topic is truly very difficult. Use these reference sources to learn more about your a broad topic.

Make note of:

• Keywords to use in searches - how do experts talk about your topic?
  • ex. Baby talk is called by experts, 'child directed speech (CDS)'. Researchers don't always use the terms gay or homosexual - they may separate identity from the action and say, 'men who have sex with men (MSM)'
• Controversies - what are people arguing about, invested in?
  • this is where you can narrow your topic and tap into a conversation
• Stakeholders - who cares about this topic? What kind of experts talk about it?
  • learning which populations are impacted by an issue helps narrow your focus. ex. 'eliminating the SAT requirements may benefit low income students.'
  • learning what kind of expertise is needed to study an issue helps you know which expertise to consult in your searching. ex. an archaeologist may choose an excavation site and dig for artifacts, but a geneticist will need to be involved to analyse DNA samples uncovered there.
• Methodologies - how do people in this topic area do research? How do they gather data?