1.
What is it about my topic that I'm interested in?
*Don't
have a topic?
Search the Idea
Generator at Old Dominion University Library |
Most
topics are broad, and this narrows your field of study,
makes it more manageable.
Use
an encyclopedia or general book in your field (ask a reference
librarian) to determine how best to narrow your topic. |
Topic: child development
I'm
interested in: social skills |
| 2.
What is my research question? |
A
topic statement does not give you a place to go. A research
question gives you a direction, a reason to find answers.
Revisit
your research question as you read new books and articles.
Add additional research questions you want to answer, or find an
interesting alternative path to follow.
These
research questions could quickly develop into an outline
for your paper. |
Research
Question:
How
do infants and toddlers develop social skills?
Additional
Research Question:
What
are some techniques for developing social skills in toddlers? |
| 3.
What keywords are used to talk about this research question? |
The
databases match on your keywords. If you do not use a keyword
that an author of a perfect article uses, you will not retrieve
that article.
Keep
adding to your list of keywords as you read more. Use keywords
from articles you have found to see if someone else wrote about
your topic using these new keywords.
You
will never do just one search. You will always try different
keyword combinations to get the database to give you a good list
of sources. |
Keywords from steps 1 and 2:
child development
social skills
develop
infants
toddlers
techniques
Possible search string:
social skills and (infant* or toddler*)
New
keywords added from reading:
emotional
social abilities
confident, secure
empathy
curious, persistent
Possible search string:
(emotion* or confiden* or empath* or curious* or persisten*) and
(infant* or toddler*) and (develop* or technique*)
|
