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ENGL 101 - English Composition I - Martin

Find a good Topic Starting Point

🛑 Too Big

If you have too many matches, it can be hard to tell what you're looking at and even harder to tell if something is what you need. You will know your topic is too broad if...

  • you are having difficulty finding similar ideas in the results.
  • there are a lot of subtopics within the concept.
  • there is a book with that title.

Example that is too broad: Marine Conservation

✅ Just Right

Look at what you can make either more specific or less specific in order to land on a topic that is just right. You'll know your topic is just right if...

  • you readily find information that matches your ideas.
  • you can see the connection between the resource and your interest.
  • you feel like you'll be able to write enough without stretching it or editing it down too much.

An example of a topic that is just right: Coral Reef conservation in the Caribbean.

🛑 Too Small

It can be easy to get so specific that your topic either doesn't exist (yet) or your words show up in your results but not in a useful way.

  • you get no (or only a few) results in the databases. 
  • what you are looking at is either not at all what you were looking for or seems to be talked about only within a different context.
  • you can't seem to find anything to support your ideas.

An example that is too narrow: Captive lionfish breeding

Background Research Databases

Credo Reference

Articles from encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference sources from all subject areas. Includes images, audio pronunciation files, maps, and data tables.

Gale Ebooks

Collection of encyclopedias, dictionaries and topical content covering a variety of subject areas.

Oxford Reference Online

Articles from encyclopedias, dictionaries, and reference sources from all subject areas. Includes quotations, maps, and illustrations.

Identifying Keywords & Related Terms Example

Identifying key concepts and what other words or phrases describe that concept you will get more meaningful results. Here is an example of how you can break down a question into concepts and their related phrases.

How often does eyewitness testimony lead to wrongful convictions? Keywords: eyewitness testimony, wrongful convictions, statistics

Original Phrase Related words or ideas
eyewitness testimony eyewitness identification/misidentification, false testimony, police lineup, eyewitness errors, lineup identification, eyewitness evidence, eyewitness memory
wrongful conviction innocence, false imprisonment, exoneration, false arrest, wrongful incarceration, criminal justice errors
how often statistics, data, history, frequency, extent

Identify Keywords

In what ways do humans contribute to the destruction and conservation of the Caribbean coral reef?

By identifying key concepts and what other words or phrases describe those concepts you will get more meaningful results. With the question "In what ways do humans contribute to the destruction and conservation of the Caribbean coral reef?" the keywords/phrases are human, destruction, conservation, and Caribbean coral reef. Here is an example of what words could be used instead:

Original Phrase Related words or ideas
humans human-caused, anthropogenic, people
destruction threats, damage, degradation, kill, decline
conservation preservation, protection, recovery, restoration
Caribbean coral reef West Indies, Caribbean Sea, Antilles, Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System

Keyword Activity