at the Powell Library Inquiry Lab! The first tip, Mapping Your Research Ideas.

Creating a map of your research ideas is a strategy you can use

whenever you need to figure out your paper topic, or come up with a list of

possible research questions.

It's also handy when you need to narrow or broaden

the topic of your paper. To get started grab a blank piece of paper and a pen or

pencil

First, draw a circle in the middle of the page, and write your idea for a paper topic inside.

If you're not sure what to write, you can start by connecting your class or assignment

with something you are passionate about.

You can pause the video here and take a few minutes to write down your topic.

Next, think about all the questions you have about your topic!

What are you curious about?

What would you like to know?

As you brainstorm, try to use a variety of question words and phrases.

You can pause the video here and take a few minutes to write down as many

questions as possible about your topic.

Next, look for a section

of your question map that looks particularly interesting to you, and

try adding new questions to this section.

Note that you can quickly narrow your topic by focusing on themes.

For example,

cultural aspects,

geographic areas,

groups of people,

and time spans or historical events.

at this point, focus on asking specific questions to narrow your topic. Let your

curiosity lead the way!

Pause the video again and take another few minutes to add new questions to the page

Now look at your map, and the questions you've asked. You probably have quite a

few possibilities to consider.

By choosing key words and concepts from your map, you can formulate your ideas

into the question you want to explore.

So, what's next?

Here just a few ideas. First, take another look at your assignment.

Which of your questions do you think best addresses the prompt?

Of these, which questions are you most passionate about exploring?

Once you choose a section of the map to focus on, you can use keywords and

phrases to search in Google Scholar

or an article database, to see what specific conversations researchers are

having about your topic.

Finally, you may want to check with your instructor to see if a topic is too

narrow

too broad or just right. Want help with the next steps?

Come visit us in the Inquiry Labs in 220 Powell Library!