To start out, let's first answer the question "Why it's important to know how to develop a good research topic."

首先，我們先來探討「找到好研究主題的重要性」。

Think of it this way: during your time as a student, and perhaps even later, you will probably write a good number of research papers.

這樣想好了，你當學生時，也許未來，你可能要寫一大堆研究報告

While some instructors might provide you with their list of research topics to choose from, others, might not, you'll have to choose your own topic.

有些教授可能會提供研究題目讓你選擇，有些可能不會，你只能自己找題目了

So, what can you write about?

所以，你能寫些什麼？

Well let's first answer the question "what makes a topic really good?"

我們得先定義「真正的好題目」

Three things worth to mention here.

這裡其實提到三件事

First, it's a topic that strongly interests you.

一、你對該主題抱持濃厚興趣

This is very important.

這點非常重要

Make sure that the topic you pick, the topic you will write about is a topic that interests you, fascinates you, that you want to talk about.

你所挑選的題目必須是你感興趣且心引你的，能讓你侃侃而談

Really, there's nothing worse than spending a lot of time writing about a topic that bores you.

真的，沒有什麼會比你花了許多時間來寫，卻讓你感到無聊的主題還糟的事了

Second, make sure your topic is creative.

其次，確認你的主題很有創意

What do we mean by that?

這是什麼意思呀？

Well, there are some topics that have just been written about over and over and over again.

嗯，有些題目前人已經一寫再寫

Can you come up with a topic that perhaps has been covered that much?

你能保證你會寫得比他們涵蓋的更全面？

Try to pick something that is creative and exciting to you and your peers.

試著挑出讓你和同儕感有創意和振奮的主題來下手

Writing about Shakespeare's dramas is great, but that topic in itself has been covered extensively.

研究莎士比亞的戲劇固然很棒，但這個主題未免太包羅萬象

Try to find something that might be a little more creative than that.

試著找到比這個更稍具創意的題目

And third, speaking of Shakespeare's dramas, make sure you pick something that is not too broad.

第三，講到莎士比亞的戲劇，確認你的題目不會太廣泛

Look at your assignment prompt.

看一下你的作業提示

How many pages are you supposed to write?

應該寫幾頁呢?

If you get a five page paper as an assignment, well Shakespeare's dramas is just going to be a little bit too broad.

如果規定只要寫五頁，莎士比亞的戲劇就顯得太廣泛了

So, make sure that the topic you choose fits the scope of your paper.

所以先確定你選的題目符合你的作業範圍

Sometimes, it can be really difficult to find a topic that is not too broad.

有時候，要選一個不太廣泛的主題確實有些難度

Here are a couple of words of advice on what to do when your topic seems too broad.

以下是針對你選題太廣時的一些建議

Let's say you are in an environmental science class.

比方說，你正在上環境科學班

Your teacher gives you this assignment prompt:

老師給你的作業提示如下

"Write a research paper on a topic dealing with the current environmental issue.

針對現行的環保議題寫一篇研究報告

Your paper should not exceed five pages and should be based on a topic that strongly interests you."

報告不要超過五頁，同時是強烈吸引你注意的主題

Well, you say, that's no problem, I know exactly what to write about.

嗯，你會說，沒問題，我知道我要寫什麼

I saw this show the other day on TV and it talked about the effects of deforestation on Gorillas in Africa.

前幾天看到電視上，剛好有個節目在做森林砍伐對猩猩的影響

I think that's a great topic.

我覺得這是個好題目

I know it interests me and it's creative, so let's write about it.

我知道它有趣而且有創意，所以就寫它吧

Well, not so fast.

嗯，先別急

Remember, your paper is only supposed to be five pages.

記住，你的報告只需要五頁

How are you going to fit that topic into a five page paper?

你要怎麼寫適合這五頁的內容呢?

That's going to be difficult. So what could you do instead?

有點難喔，所以你會怎麼做呢?

The key is to add more context.

關鍵在於增添更多內容

For example, you could add some geographical context to your paper.

舉例來說，在報告中加入一些地理資訊

Is there a geographic region or country in which gorillas are specifically affected by deforestation?

有哪些地區或國家，特別容易受到濫墾濫伐影響

Perhaps you want to focus more on a historical context.

也許你想聚焦在歷史背景上

Is there a certain time aspect you want to write about?

有沒有特別想要著墨於哪一個時間點？

Perhaps the time when deforestation really started to affect gorillas?

或許可以談談森林砍伐開始影響猩猩的時間點？

And third, with this topic, you could also add biological context.

第三，在主題中加入生物學背景

Perhaps there's a specific subspecies of the gorilla that you're interested to write about.

也許有特定猩猩的亞種受影響，吸引你來寫作

So, when we combine all three contexts and incorporate them into the original topic, this is what we get: something like

所以，將以上三個脈絡加入你原先的主題，題目就會變成有點像這樣

"Current effects of deforestation on the mountain gorilla in Southwest Uganda."

森林砍伐對當前西南烏干達山地大猩猩的影響

We were able to incorporate the historical context, the biological context, and the geographical context.

我們融入了歷史、生物及地理背景

Adding context truly is a great way of narrowing your topic.

加進背景脈絡是縮小研究主題的好方法