How To Pick a Research Topic

Here's How:

1. Read and understand the limits of the assignment as it was given.
2. Think about what interests you, and then how that can be related to the assignment.
3. Check resources recommended by your teacher, including any course textbooks.
4. Review information available on this site to look for resources. See the search box on this page.
5. Consult search engines to see if you can find additional information by topic experts.
6. Since much about women's history is not found on the Net, you'll often need to consult books, journals and other print resources. Visit our school or public library. Remember that at this point you're just browsing to see what resources are available as you pick and define your topic.
7. Check the library's card catalog for books. With some libraries you can do this online.
8. Check the "Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature" for articles. Also check more specialized periodical indexes, especially if you're in college.
9. Check online and print encyclopedias for overviews of the topic. (For high school and college, you'll use these resources primarily as background and to help you think about what else you need to look for online or in print.)
10. If you find too little information, broaden your topic or pick another topic.
11. If you find too much information, narrow your topic to one part of the original topic.
12. Write one or two sentences describing your topic, to help you define it precisely.
13. If required in your course: get your teacher's approval for your choice of topic.
14. After you've picked your topic, go back and start with the resources you've already found for your detailed research.

Tips:

1. You'll do a better job if you're interested in your topic, or even passionate about it. Find a topic connected with something you're already interested in. Examples: If you like fashion, pick a women's history topic connected with fashion. If you're fascinated by women in power, pick a woman in politics or one who ruled. Interested in science or math? Nursing? Find a related topic.
2. When researching for the paper, use texts your teacher recommends, if any, and some you've discovered yourself. Go beyond the expected -- but don't forget to pay attention to what's required or recommended, too.
3. Try to find an unusual aspect of the topic, one that's broad enough to find material for your research and narrow enough not to drown you in possible resources.
4. Use bibliographies you find online to identify the best print resources for your topic. Book reviews are often found online, and may help you decide if a book is worth using as a resource.
5. Adapt these tips for the level you're writing for. College professors expect more detailed research and more use of print resources than middle school teachers do, for instance.