Introduction to Library Research
Ask Your Research Question
Research is problem solving with information.
All research starts with a question about a specific topic. Your research helps you form your answer to that question.
Your question might be implied, but it's best to actually form a question. Consider a question that requires you to think critically about the topic, or about a specific angle on that topic.
Try filling in this formula, replacing X, Y, and Z with what interests you.
Now that you have that statement, what question are you trying to answer? What problem are you trying to solve with the information you find?
Now you just need to find X - your topic!
Find X = Choose a Topic
Find Your X, Y, & Z = Choose a "Just Right" Topic
Are you feeling lost on your paper or assignment topic? Do you need help choosing a "Just Right" topic? This guide is designed to help you pick a topic and narrow it down to fit the assignment parameters.
Check out this slideshow:
- Choosing a "Just Right" Topic Slideshow
This slideshow goes over much of the material in this guide, including extra examples on how to narrow down a topic.
Dive Deeper
- Tutorial: Choosing a Topic from Credo's Info-Lit Core Courseware
This tutorial will illustrate how to:
- Narrow down your topic to a more manageable size.
- Craft a research question from your topic.
