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Library Research: Stage 2 - Topic Selection What is This? The task here is to pick a general topic to investigate, nothing specific yet. In Stage 1, you probably learned how much choice you will have in picking your topic. The teacher might assign you a specific topic, give you a list to choose from, or let you make up your own. Whatever the situation, you should try to get a topic you are interested in. Research projects are a lot less painful if you have a topic you enjoy. What Should I Expect? The bad news is that you will probably still feel nervous and confused, because you are still sorting it all out. The good news is that once you do choose a topic, you'll probably feel good just to have that part done. With any luck, you will have a topic you are actually interested in. If so, you might even be looking forward to it a little bit. (Don't worry, your secret is safe with me.) What Should I Do? The most important thing to do is get going. The other stages take a long time, so you want to get this one out of the way early. You can begin by jotting down a list of what interests you about the subject. What is the most interesting thing you have studied in the class so far? Was there anything you wanted to know more about? Also, it will usually help to ask your teacher or your school librarian for suggestions. If you have some ideas, they can tell you which ones might make good topics. Finally, make sure you discuss it with your friends. Just talking about it (or writing about it in your blog) will help you get it sorted out. |