LIBRARY WORKSHOP
RESOURCES FOR FINDING A RESEARCH TOPIC
Contact Information: library@ncu.edu | 888-628-1569
summary | This workshop will introduce students to library and online
resources which can be used to locate potential topics for a research paper
or dissertation. It will provide students with techniques to become more
effective at brainstorming topic ideas, searching for research topics, and
evaluating the available literature.
NOTE: The Library cannot assist students with choosing, narrowing down, or
developing their research topic. They are advised to contact their mentors,
chairs, or consult the Dissertation Center.
learning objectives | Upon completion of this workshop students will know
how to:
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Access the Research Process – Finding a Research Topic pages on the
Library’s website
Brainstorm and create a topic ideas journal
Use online sources to locate potential topics
Use e-books to gain background information on research topics
Locate scholarly articles to review the Discussion, Conclusion or Future
Research sections
Identify special considerations for choosing dissertation topics
I.
research process | A thorough overview of the research process may
be found on the Library’s Research Process page. Today’s workshop
will correspond to the section titled Finding a Research Topic.
Remember, finding an appropriate and manageable topic is research,
and requires a significant investment of time.
II.
brainstorming | Begin thinking about the type of research you would
like to do by asking yourself the questions below. Record topic ideas in
a log or journal, making sure not to evaluate any ideas during the
process. Remember, even seemingly silly ideas can lead you to
relevant new topic areas and research questions.
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What are your major interests within your discipline?
What personal experiences have you had that were particularly
significant or meaningful to you, as it relates to your discipline?
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What coursework did you take that you found most exciting?
What theories and concepts are most interesting to you?
Are there some ideas you have studied which you are curious
about and would like to explore more?
What are your career goals upon completion of your degree?
What are the major issues or problems faced in your industry
today?
Have you read any interesting articles or books related to your
discipline?
III.
keywords | The next step is to start identifying keywords related to
your potential topic ideas. Try to break down your topic or research
question into 2-4 overall main ideas; these main ideas become simple
keywords which “point the way” to research in that area. Similar to the
Topic Ideas Journal, keep a keyword list when you are researching a
topic.
IV.
online sources | Start with one of your broad topic ideas and conduct
a search in Google or another search engine to see if there is recent
information on that topic. Use keywords such as: trending news or
trending topics, recent research, controversial issues, policy
debates, and other relevant terms to locate recent news. Closely
evaluate any online sources to ensure they contain balanced, factual
information. See the Library’s Website Evaluation page for specific
criteria to consider. Additionally, the following types of online sources
may lead to topic ideas:
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Blogs - valuable source for information on trending issues,
current events, recent research, debates and more. Reviewing
blogs may be an important step in identifying current studies
and trends in a subject area.
Research news websites - Headlines for recently published
research can be found by searching for the keywords “research
news.”
Popular news sources and magazines - Use the links
provided in online articles or the informal in-text citation within
the article to locate the original research publication. These
resources can be found by conducting an internet search, or
using NCU Library’s Find a Resource tool to search for specific
publications by title.
Controversial topics and debates - useful for learning about
different perspectives on the same issue.
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News feeds or alerts - Subscribing to news feeds helps you
stay up-to-date on the research that is being done in a specific
field.
Open Access Resources - statistics, reports, conference
abstracts
and
proceedings,
white
papers,
association
newsletters, industry news and more. Visit NCU Library’s Open
Access Resources collection to browse websites by discipline.
These sources are freely available and not proprietary, meaning
that they do not require login or subscription.
Wikipedia or other online wiki sources are helpful for finding
background information on a topic and getting ideas for
keywords and phrases, but they should never be used as a
cited reference in academic research.
V.
reference resources | Reading encyclopedia or handbook entries on
an idea that you are considering is a good way for you to see the big
picture. This information can help you decide if the topic really is in
line with your thinking, and whether you want to continue researching
in that subject area. Go to the Find an E-Book page to see a list of the
Library's reference e-book databases.
VI.
books | Books often give that broad subject overview and mention
specific theories, researchers, or topic areas that you may want to
pursue further. With thousands of e-books on many different subjects,
Ebrary is a great database to start your search.
VII.
scholarly articles | Start by using the Roadrunner Search located on
the Library’s home page. Roadrunner searches approximately 95% of
all of the Library’s databases. When you discover articles in your topic
area, skim through the full-text for their Discussion, Conclusion or
Future Research sections. These sections will highlight new
research questions that the study raised, tangential research
questions, or questions that have been around for a long time but
have not yet been answered. The missing piece or pieces in the
research literature is called the literature gap.
VIII.
dissertation topics | The Northcentral University Dissertation
Handbook describes an appropriate dissertation topic as one that is
interesting, feasible, relevant, and worthy. You can read more
about each of these considerations in the Dissertation Resource
Manual (available on the Dissertation Center website). Additionally, it
is important to consider:
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IX.
Access to the primary literature and secondary literature relating
to your topic
Access to the tests and measurements that you will need
Access to theoretical frameworks relating to your topic
Access to seminal research relating to your topic
Access to the study group to conduct your study
Access to equipment for your study, if needed
IRB approval for your study (see IRB Handbook in the
Dissertation Center)
additional resources| Please visit the below links for additional
information on finding a research topic.
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Choosing a Topic (OWL at Purdue)
Finding a Research Topic
Getting Ideas for a Study
How to Select a Research Topic (University of Michigan)
Northcentral University: Narrowing the Topic
Selecting and Using Keywords
Strategies for Choosing a Research Topic (University of
Minnesota)
Strategies for Narrowing the Research Topic (University of
Southern California)
quiz| Answer the questions below to reinforce what you have learned in
today’s workshop.
1. What is the first step in finding a research topic?
2. Name two types of online sources which may be useful in finding
research topic ideas.
3. Where in the Library can you locate popular news sources and
magazines?
4. Which page in the Library provides access to reference resources?
5. What type of resource should you consult for broad subject overview
and coverage of specific theories, researchers, or topic ideas?
6. What part of a scholarly article might identify a literature gap?
7. Name two additional topic considerations of dissertation students.
8. Can the Library assist you with narrowing or choosing your research
topic?
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