Introduction to Research

Choosing a Topic
The first step in the research process is choosing a topic to explore. A good research topic is broad enough that you can find good sources but also specific enough to fit within the scope of a research paper. This can often feel like walking a tightrope, but following this guide will help you avoid common pitfalls.

Highlights

• Choosing a topic IS research.
• Always try to choose a topic that’s interesting to you or connects to your knowledge and experiences.
• Spending some time developing your topic should make the rest of the research process a lot faster and easier.

If you already have a sense of what topic you’d like to research, or if your professor has assigned you a topic, you can skip ahead to 1.2 Finding Background Information.