Choosing a Topic
In order to start your research, you must have at least a general idea of what your topic is. If you have not chosen or been assigned a topic, you should choose a topic that is:
- relevant to your assignment
- interesting to you, and
- well-documented enough to gather information
Use an encyclopedia
An encyclopedia will give you introductory information on a topic. This information will help you choose a topic, or give you ideas for broadening or narrowing your topic you have already chosen. To use one of the Library's print encyclopedias, go to the Reference section, located in the new building. General encyclopedias covering all subject areas are located in the A section. You may also find subject-specific encyclopedias in appropriate sections of the Library. Follow this link for a listing of subject areas and their locations in the Library. You may also use an online encyclopedia.
Identify the general field of study your topic belongs to
For instance, lets say your topic is Depression. This topic might belong to the general field of Psychology, or the general field of Medicine. It makes a difference whether you choose to research this topic from one aspect or the other, or both. Books on Psychology are located in a different section of the Library than books on Medicine. The two fields of study may also be considered separate categories when searching for information online.
Browse books devoted to your topic
Once you have determined the general subject area(s) your topic belongs to, you can browse books in that section of the Library. Follow this link for a listing of subject areas and their locations in the Library. Keep in mind that the new wing of the Library contains Reference books only, and the old wing contains Circulating books only. Reference books may not be borrowed from the Library. However, the books are arranged by the same system in both parts of the Library.
Browse magazines devoted to your topic
To see which magazines the Library has, select Periodicals from the menu at the left. Choose a few magazines that may be of interest, and look at some of the articles contained therein. In this way, you may discover a topic of interest. Some of the titles have an online version.
Search the Internet for information on your topic
To do this, use our Google Search feature on the Library home page, or go to your search engine of choice. A word of warning: If you cannot find any information on the Internet for your topic at first, it does not mean that the information does not exist. Finding information on the Internet is often difficult, and it is often NOT the best or quickest place to find information.
Also see:
- Outline of the Research Process (Utah Acad. Lib. Consortium)
- Selecting a Research Topic (Utah Acad. Lib. Consortium)
- Defining the Research Topic (California St. Univ. system)
- Reference Sources (California St. Univ. system)