Identifying a Topic
You
may often be assigned a particular topic to research. However, at
times, you may be expected to select a topic on your own and research it.
Identifying a worthwhile research topic may require a substantial amount
of work, but this initial step is critical. As you consider topics,
remember to select one that addresses your professor's assignment, that
interests you enough to pursue it further, and that can be manageably presented
within the boundaries of the assignment. That is, don't pick a topic
so recent or so narrow that little has been published about it or so broad
that it can't be discussed adequately.
Use
the following strategies to help you identify a manageable topic:
-
Go to
the area in your library where print indexes are kept. (Usually this is
the reference room.) Look through entries in an index like the General
Science Index as well as more subject specific indexes for a topic
that interests you.
-
Go the
area in your library where periodicals are kept. Browse through current
issues of science or chemistry journals. This is a good way to uncover
very current issues in the scientific community.
-
Connect
to Medline,
Applied
Science & Technology Abstracts, or Science
Citation Index Expanded. Do a subject or word search, and then browse
through entries.
-
Explore
possibilities on the World Wide Web. Connect to a search engine,
like Metacrawler, AltaVista,
or HotBot. Do a search on a topic
of your choice using several different search expressions.
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