Choosing a topic

Choosing a topic is an essential first step when beginning any research assignment. Select one of the following situations:

My instructor has assigned a topic | I must choose my own topic

In many cases, your instructor will assign broad topics to choose from.
Once you have selected a topic, you will have to explore it to identify potential areas of interest.
Next, focus your topic by selecting one or two key ideas that you will want to elaborate on in your assignment. By choosing specific issues, your topic becomes more manageable for the purposes of your assignment.

Example

Your instructor has assigned the topic of violence in sports. This is a general topic that you will need to explore to identify potential areas of interest. At this point, think of various ideas that you may want to investigate for your assignment.

Here are a few examples:

Media coverage of such incidents
Fighting and its appeal to sports fans
Violence in a particular sport (ex. hockey, baseball, etc.)
Effects of sports violence on young players
Violence in sport and criminal prosecution
Parents' role in preventing violence in little league