How to Narrow a Research Topic

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How to Narrow a Research Topic
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• Define the word broad?
• What do you think happens if you are researching
  and your topic is too broad?

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When your research topic is too broad, ask
yourself these questions Who? What? When? Where?
Why?
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Lets see how this works with an example eating
disorders This topic is too broad (general) to
write about in a short paper. We need to narrow
it down. (more specific).
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Who?
TOPIC EATING DISORDERS
Populations
Age
NEW TOPIC Eating disorders in elderly females
Gender
Race or Ethnicity
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What?
TOPIC EATING DISORDERS
Types
Anorexia
NEW TOPIC Anorexia in elderly females
Bulimia
Compulsive eating
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When?
TOPIC EATING DISORDERS
Timeframes
Current or historical view
NEW TOPIC Bulimia in middle-aged females
Period of life
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Where?
TOPIC EATING DISORDERS
Places
States
NEW TOPIC Anorexia in Australian women
Regions
Countries
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Why?
TOPIC EATING DISORDERS
Evaluate
Causes
NEW TOPIC Successful methods for treatment of
compulsive eating
Treatments
Outcomes
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The Desert

• The desert is a lot to write about. What part
  of the desert am I interested in? And what would
  my audience find interesting? I have always found
  those large cacti very interesting. Perhaps I
  could write about Saguaros in the desert- large
  cacti.

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Your turn! Narrow these topics-- remember to
think about who, what, when ,where and why when
narrowing your topic

• Space
• Insects
• Presidents
• The Ocean

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Your turn! Narrow these topics even more

• Spaceastronauts
• Insectsbutterflies
• Presidents-Lincoln-
• Ocean- shipwrecks--

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Lets practice on our own

• Rank the following topics from general to the
  narrow- 1 being general and 4 being narrow.
• __ huskies in Alaska
• __ dogs
• __ huskies
• __ baby huskies training to be sled dogs in
  Alaska
• ___baby huskies in Alaska

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Lets practice on our own

• Rank the following topics from general to the
  narrow- 1 being general and 4 being narrow.
• __ tests in middle school
• __ education
• __ middle school
• __ female TCAP scores
• ___female test scores