27 Writing Process: Topic Exploration
Topic Exploration
The research process is iterative, not linear. See this YouTube video on picking your topic.
The steps below can be adjusted, revised, added to, and run again numerous times until you are satisfied with the research sources you have found. Our class will study issues related to health and wellness:
- The effectiveness of personal feedback/tracking devices (fitbit, Apple watch or other wearable technology)
- Changing a sedentary lifestyle
- Sugar, salt, or fat (choose one!) and their effect on Metabolic Syndrome, Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension, or Heart Disease (choose one!)
- Body image
- Recess or PE classes in K-12
- Disordered eating
- Balancing school, work, and life
Brainstorm ideas
Using the course prompt you can use a variety tools to brainstorm topic ideas. Below are some videos that will help with the brainstorming process.
Collect background research
To begin you may want to conduct some background research to gain a general understanding about your topic. Think about why we tend to select a Wikipedia article when we look up a term or subject in Google or another search engine. A reference article, like those on Wikipedia, provide short and concise, but broad overviews on a wide range of topics. You can use academic reference tools available in the library, like Credo Reference and Gale eBooks (see this short video or this slightly longer video on how to use Gale eBooks) to locate background information. Gale’s Topic Finder and Credo’s Mind Map can help you generate ideas for related or narrower topics as well. To summarize, background research, especially in reference sources can help:
- Summarize information about topics
- Identify questions or problems relevant to the topic
- Narrow your research
- Provide words or phrases for further searching
Focus your topic
Making sure you have a topic that isn’t too broad or too narrow, but that will yield useful and relevant information is an important part of the process. You can use the steps in this document to help narrow and focus your topic.
Conceptualize your research question
Once you have a solid research question, you will need to break that question up into manageable keywords that can be applied to a research database or search engine. The second page of this document will help you take your research question or phrase and pull out searchable terms and phrases. Think about synonyms and related terms that may also apply.
Make a copy of this document by renaming it Topic Exploration Last Name. Fill in the blanks with ideas related to your chosen area of focus.
Click NEXT to submit your work.
You are each exploring different topics; here’s a chance to see even more ideas and refine your topic even further.
Your posting will be a picture or screen shot of p. 2 of the Topic Exploration and Research Question (ELA). By now you should be comfortable embedding a photo in your Discussion. If you need a reminder, CLICK HERE for a link to the Canvas instructions.
Your responses will be to add an idea or ask a question about the key words and research questions displayed by your classmates.
You will earn the minimum points for responding to two classmates within 48 hours; for full points participate and respond to more than two classmates on more than two days. The rubric will remind you of our Discussion expectations.
