“FAQ ABOUT NARROWING A TOPIC ”
1. CAN I NARROW MY TOPIC WITHOUT AN OVERVIEW?
Usually not. Find a reference book (specialized or general encyclopedia listed on your pathfinder) that gives a summary of the subject that interests you. It should contain information on who, what, where, when, why and how. Use the general subject headings to search additional books and follow the directions below.
2. WHY WILL NARROWING A TOPIC HELP ME?
Narrow topics are easier to search than broad ones. You can set boundaries on the information you need which will help you locate information efficiently. You won't be overwhelmed by the amount of information available and can concentrate on particular chapters or pages rather than whole books. With less material to search, you will be able to evaluate your sources. You will be likely to discover specific details to enliven your topic because you don't have to summarize large amounts of information.
3. HOW DO I DISTINGUISH BROAD TOPICS FROM NARROW ONES?
Here are some examples of topics that are best covered in a (1) paragraph, (2) three-page essay, (3) 10-12 page research paper and (4) book. Notice the pattern of narrow to broad.
SUBJECT = TOXIC WASTE
Paragraph - Definition of Toxic Waste
Essay - One Cause of Toxic Waste
Paper - The Rehabilitation of Love Canal: A Questionable Renaissance
Book - Toxic Waste
RESEARCH PAPER QUESTION = "CAN LOVE CANAL BE MADE HABITABLE FOR HUMAN BEINGS?"
SUBJECT = DEPRESSION OF 1929-1941
Paragraph - Chronological Start of the Great Depression
Essay - Two Lessons Learned From the Great Depression
Paper - The First Three Years of the Great Depression : A Case for Economic Intervention
Book - The Great Depression
RESEARCH PAPER QUESTION = "COULD THE IMPACT OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION HAVE BEEN LESSENED IF SPECIFIC ECONOMIC REMEDIES HAD BEEN EMPLOYED BY CONGRESS?
SUBJECT = PHOTOGRAPHY
Paragraph - Who Is a Pioneer in Photography?
Essay - Significance of the Discovery of the Negative-Positive Photo-Graphic Process
Paper - Joseph Nicephore Niepce: A Photographer Decades Ahead
Book - Pioneers of Photography
RESEARCH PAPER QUESTION = CAN JOSEPH NICEPHORE NIEPCE TAKE CREDIT FOR BEING THE TRUE INVENTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY?
SUBJECT = MEDIEVAL ARCHITECTURE
Paragraph - General Rules of Medieval Builders
Essay - The Use of Contractual Labor in Medieval Building
Paper - The Evolution of the Master Ingeniator or Architect
Book - Medieval Mason: Architecture
RESEARCH PAPER QUESTION = WHEN DID THE ROLE OF THE MASTER MASON CHANGE TO THAT OF ARCHITECT DURING THE MIDDLE AGES?
4. WHAT ARE SOME SIMPLE TECHNIQUES TO NARROW MY TOPIC?
You can narrow your topic by using the following methods:
(1) Narrow your topic to a problem or question.
(2) Narrow your topic chronologically.
(3) Narrow your subject topically.
(4) Narrow your topic Spatially i.e. a geographical division,or something in relation to someone or something else and
(5)Narrow your topic by dividing and subdividing it.
Look at the examples of each technique:
NARROWING BY PROBLEM OR QUESTION
TOPIC: LOVE CANAL
QUESTION OR PROBLEM: "Can Love Canal Ever Become Habitable for Human Beings?
TOPIC: GREAT DEPRESSION OF 1929-1941
QUESTION OR PROBLEM: "Could the Great Depression of 1929-1941 Have Been Lessened if Congress Had Not Passed the Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act of 1930?"
TOPIC: PHOTOGRAPHY
QUESTION OR PROBLEM: "Should Joseph Nicephore Niepce Be Given Credit for Inventing Photography?"
TOPIC: MEDIEVAL ARCHITECTURE
QUESTION OR PROBLEM: " When Did the Role of Master Mason Change to That of Architect During the Middle Ages?"
NARROWING YOUR TOPIC CHRONOLOGICALLY
TOPIC: LOVE CANAL
QUESTION OR PROBLEM: "Are the Environmental Problems of Love Canal Fixed in Time or Do They Transcend Time ?"
TOPIC: GREAT DEPRESSION OF 1929-1941
QUESTION OR PROBLEM: "What Were the Economic Effects of the Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act of 1930 During the First Three Years of the Great Depression
TOPIC: PHOTOGRAPHY
QUESTION OR PROBLEM: " How Did the Photographic Experiments of Joseph Nicephore Niepce Place Him at the Beginning of the Chronology of Photography."
TOPIC: MEDIEVAL ARCHITECTURE
QUESTION OR PROBLEM: "How Did the Duties and Responsibilities of Master Mason Evolve From the Fifteenth to Sixteenth Century ?"
NARROWING YOUR SUBJECT TOPICALLY
TOPIC: LOVE CANAL
QUESTION OR PROBLEM: "Will People Buy Houses Again in Love Canal?"
TOPIC: The GREAT DEPRESSION 1929-1941
QUESTION OR PROBLEM: "What Were the Economic Effects of Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act Upon the Great Depression?"
TOPIC: PHOTOGRAPHY
QUESTION OR PROBLEM: Did the Experiments of Joseph Nicephore Niepce Qualify Him as the Inventor of Photography?"
TOPIC: MEDIEVAL ARCHITECTURE
QUESTION OR PROBLEM: "How Did the Duties and Responsibilities of Master Masons Set the Stage for Their Future Role as Architects of the Great Cathedrals During the Middle Ages?"
NARROWING YOUR TOPIC SPATIALLY (GEOGRAPHICALLY OR IN RELATION TO SOMEONE OR SOMETHING ELSE)
TOPIC: LOVE CANAL
QUESTION OR PROBLEM: "How Are the Environmental Problems of Love Canal Illustrative of Those Currently Threatening Lake Erie ?"
TOPIC: THE GREAT DEPRESSION 1929-1941
QUESTION OR PROBLEM: "How Did the Enactment of the Hawley- Smoot Tariff Act Hasten the Collapse of the European Financial Structure During the Great Depression?"
TOPIC: PHOTOGRAPHY
QUESTION OR PROBLEM: " How Far Were the Advances of Joseph Nicephore Niepce in Relation to Other Pioneer Photographers?"
TOPIC: MEDIEVAL ARCHITECTURE
QUESTION OR PROBLEM: "How Did the Role of Master Mason Change in Relation to Other Laborers of Medieval Cathedrals?"
NARROWING YOUR TOPIC BY DIVIDING
AND SUBDIVIDING IT
INITIAL TOPIC: TOXIC WASTE
FIRST DIVISION TOXIC CHEMICALS
SECOND DIVISION LOVE CANAL DISASTER
THIRD DIVISION "REHABILITATION OF LOVE CANAL: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE?"
INITIAL TOPIC: UNITED STATES --DEPRESSIONS
FIRST DIVISION GREAT DEPRESSION 1929-1941
SECOND DIVISION GREAT DEPRESSION FIRST THREE YRS.
THIRD DIVISION "PASSAGE OF THE HAWLEY-SMOOT TARIFF ACT: RECIPE FOR DISASTER"
INITIAL TOPIC: PHOTOGRAPHY
FIRST DIVISION PIONEERS OF PHOTOGRAPHY
SECOND DIVISION IMPORTANT PHOTOGRAPHY INVENTIONS
THIRD DIVISION "JOSEPH NICEPHORE NIEPCE: THE TRUE INVENTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY"
INITIAL TOPIC: MEDIEVAL ARCHITECTURE
FIRST DIVISION MEDIEVAL BUILDERS AND THEIR METHODS
SECOND DIVISION ROLE OF THE MASTER BUILDER
THIRD DIVISION "THE EVOLUTION OF THE MASTER MASON TO ARCHITECT DURING THE MIDDLE AGES"
Haise Roe and Katey Craver 11/95
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