Students need to develop a focused research topic.

In some courses, an instructor will assign a specific topic. 

VIEW this short online tutorial [5 mins] for ideas on how to better understand your assignment and to help you identify appropriate resources. Note: If the tutorial doesn't load, try the text version.

When you choose your own topic, you need to:

• brainstorm for ideas
• read general background information
• focus in on the topic, from general to specific
• be flexible 
• define your topic as a focused research question
• research and read more about your topic

Be aware, selecting a good topic is not easy. It must be narrowly focused enough to be interesting and unique It must be broad enough to find adequate information for your research Before you select your topic, make sure you know what your final research project should look like. Each instructor, or class, will have somewhat different requirements and purposes for research.