HIS 141: History of the Modern World : Topic Development

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McGovern Library
library@dwu.edu
(605) 995-2618

Before you start researching your topic, consider the following questions: 

1. Is there a topic that interests you?
   • Choosing a topic that interests you will make the research process more enjoyable and you will be more invested in the research.
2. Is there a subsection of a larger topic that you can dive deeper into?
   • When choosing a topic, you want to begin narrowing your focus. If you select a topic that is too broad, you will be overwhelmed with information and your research will end us being more like a summary of points, not an analysis of them. 
3. Is the topic you are working on too broad or too narrow?
   • Finding that Goldilocks topic can be hard, but in the end is pays off. 
4. Are there requirements you need to consider before moving forward with your research?
   • Are you needing to focus on a broader theme? Are there a required number of sources? How many pages do you need to write? All of these requirements need to be kept in the back of your mind when you are determining a topic. 
5. Can you answer your research question or thesis statement with a quick Google search? 
   • If you can, your topic is too simple. 

Follow the steps below (and the librarian's example) to see one way to brainstorm a topic. 

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Start off with a very broad topic. 

Librarian Example:
The Library of Alexandria

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Using your topic, what is a question we can try to answer?
Remember that you should not be able to answer this question with a quick Google Search.

Librarian Example:
Why was the Library of Alexandria so important to ancient times?

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Write down 3 sub-topics or related topics that help to narrow your starting topic.
Conduct background research to see how you can narrow your topic by using sub-topics.

Librarian Example:
Subtopic 1: The Library under Ptolemy and its creation as propaganda for Egypt - not research
Subtopic 2: Literary criticism in the Library during the 2nd century BC
Subtopic 3: Roman invasion of Alexandria and the slight singeing of library resources

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Select a branch that looks interesting and write a question we can answer.

Librarian Example:

Starting Topic: The Library of Alexandria
Branched Topic: The Roman invasion of Alexandria and the academics in the Library of Alexandria

New Question: What effects on academics and research did the invasion of Julius Caesar have? How did the Roman take-over of the Egyptian city influence the Library of Alexandria?

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Branch out your topic again using your selected sub-topic and new question.
Think about the issues you might start running into at this point. Is your topic too broad/narrow, are there too many variables, or do you need to do more branching?

Librarian Example:
Branched Topic #1: The effects of the Roman invasion of Alexandria on the library and it's academic influence.
Subtopic 1: False belief that the library was destroyed by fire during the Roman invasion
Subtopic 2: Decline in funding to the Library during Roman rule - declining reputation for scholarly work
Subtopic 3: Political turmoil and capture/invasion of foreign entities from 250-650 AD

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Once again, select a branch that looks interesting and write a question we can answer.

 

Librarian Example:

Starting Topic: The Library of Alexandria
Branched Topic: The Roman invasion of Alexandria and the academics in the Library of Alexandria
2nd Branched Topic: The decline in funding to the Library during Roman rule leading to a declining reputation for scholarly work

New Question: How did the decline in funding and desire for academics coming out of the Library of Alexandria lead to the downfall of the library and its scholarly work?