Developing Your Topic

1.1 Where do I begin? The Search Process
Whether you are assigned a topic for a research assignment, or whether you get to pick one for yourself, the research process starts with developing your topic in a way that allows you to research efficiently and effectively.

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If you need to pick a topic, or even if you are dealing with a pre-selected topic, you might start narrowing down your topic by exploring the resources around you, look over titles or headings that might catch your eye, pique your curiousity or surprise you.

Examples of resources you might look into include:
• Recent magazines or other periodicals
• Encyclopedias or other reference books
• Textbooks

If a few titles, or subtopics stand out, pick one that you want to learn more about! You are going to spend hours on your research paper, and focusing on a topic that interests you will turn hours of drudgery into hours of pleasant reading, if not fun and games.

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