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Narrow Your Topic

Brainstorming for library research is the process of generating ideas and questions about a topic in order to narrow down your focus and develop a research plan. It is an important step in the research process because it helps you to identify the key concepts and issues related to your topic, and to identify the sources that you will need to use.

There are many different ways to brainstorm for library research. Here are a few tips:

  • Start with a broad topic. Don't feel like you need to have a narrow research question right away. It's often helpful to start with a broad topic that you're interested in and then narrow it down as you learn more.
  • Ask yourself questions. What do you already know about your topic? What do you want to know? What are the different aspects of your topic that you could explore?
  • Use the library's resources. The library has a wealth of resources that can help you brainstorm, including books, articles, databases, and librarians. You can search the library catalog for books and articles on your topic, or you can ask a librarian for help finding resources.

Here are a few specific brainstorming exercises that you can do:

  • Freewriting. Set a timer for 10 minutes and write down everything that comes to mind about your topic. Don't worry about grammar or spelling. Just write.
  • Clustering. Write your topic in the center of a piece of paper. Then, draw circles around it and write down related topics or ideas in each circle. Continue drawing circles and adding new ideas until you run out of space.
  • Mind mapping. Mind mapping is a visual way to brainstorm. Start by writing your topic in the center of a piece of paper. Then, draw branches off of the center circle and write down related topics or ideas on each branch. You can continue drawing branches and adding new ideas until you have a complete mind map.

 

Topic: Animal Rights

Let's think (or brainstorm) of some related topics on Animal Abuse. 

 

KEYWORDS

WHAT ARE KEYWORDS?

Keywords are specific words or phrases that relate to your main idea or research question. They are used in brainstorming to determine search terms to use in finding research or narrowing down a topic. Keywords can be specific search words found in your research question, synonyms, phrases, or jargon that are common in the field of study.

Keywords are the words you type into a search box to search for information on your topic.

Retrieved from: Grand Valley State University Library, https://www.gvsu.edu/library/km/brainstorming-strategy-narrowing-a-topic-36.htm