Picking a Topic is Research

University of Houston Libraries

29 Oct 202002:49

Summary

TLDRThis video from the University of Houston Libraries explains how to choose and refine a research topic. It emphasizes that research is not a linear process, but an iterative one where selecting a topic, finding sources, and writing are interconnected. The video encourages exploratory research to refine and adjust topics, offering an example of how a narrow topic like 'The Bachelor' and a broad one like 'Reality TV' can be refined into a manageable focus. The key takeaway is the importance of flexibility and ongoing exploration in the research process.

Takeaways

📚 Choosing a research topic is an iterative process intertwined with finding sources, reading, and writing.
📝 Your initial topic idea isn't fixed; exploratory research helps refine and tweak it.
🔍 Exploratory research can lead to new directions, questions, or even a new topic altogether.
✨ The goal is to find a topic that is interesting, academically engaging, and manageable.
🛠 During research and writing, it's okay to return to researching for additional information.
🔄 Research and writing follow a circular process, not a straight-line path.
📺 Narrow topics, like researching a single TV show, may not yield enough scholarly sources.
⚖️ Broad topics, like reality TV in general, can overwhelm with too much unrelated information.
💡 Finding a balanced, manageable topic is key—like focusing on a sub-genre of reality TV.
📖 Allow time for exploring and refining your topic to ensure it's researchable and interesting.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video script?
-The video focuses on the process of choosing a research topic for a paper, emphasizing that it involves exploratory research, refining the topic, and iterating between research, writing, and editing.
Why is choosing a research topic described as an iterative process?
-Choosing a research topic is iterative because it often requires refining and tweaking the topic based on exploratory research, findings, and the need to continuously adjust during the writing and editing stages.
What is exploratory research, according to the script?
-Exploratory research is the initial process of gathering information to learn more about a chosen topic, refine the scope of the research, and determine whether there are enough sources available for a meaningful and academically engaging paper.
How can exploratory research help refine a research topic?
-Exploratory research helps refine a research topic by allowing the researcher to test the topic, broaden or narrow its scope based on available sources, and ensure the topic is academically engaging and researchable.
What is an example of an overly narrow topic mentioned in the video?
-An example of an overly narrow topic mentioned in the video is the reality TV show 'The Bachelor,' which lacks sufficient scholarly research.
What is an example of an overly broad topic provided in the video?
-An example of an overly broad topic is 'reality TV in general,' which results in an overwhelming amount of unrelated research that makes forming a coherent thesis difficult.
How does the video suggest finding a balance between a too narrow and too broad research topic?
-The video suggests finding a balance by tweaking the topic's scope to focus on a more manageable sub-genre, like 'dating and reality TV,' which offers a sufficient but not overwhelming amount of research material.
Why is it important to adjust a research topic early in the process?
-It is important to adjust a research topic early to avoid realizing too late that the topic is unresearchable or too broad, which could lead to difficulties in writing a coherent paper.
What are the benefits of refining a research topic through exploratory research?
-Refining a research topic through exploratory research ensures that the topic remains interesting, manageable, academically engaging, and supported by enough credible sources to complete the research assignment effectively.
What resources does the video suggest using for exploratory research?
-The video suggests using internet searches and library research databases to test and refine potential research topics.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Understanding the Messy Research Process

This paragraph introduces the concept of choosing a research topic for a paper. Contrary to the belief that research follows a straight path—choosing a topic and then writing—the reality is more complex. The process of selecting a topic is intertwined with researching, writing, and editing. The goal is to refine and adapt the topic through exploratory research, making the entire process more iterative and flexible.

🔍 Exploring Your Topic Through Initial Research

When selecting a research topic, the choice is not final. Early exploratory research can help refine the topic, inspire new questions, or lead to an entirely new direction. This paragraph emphasizes that exploratory research serves to solidify a topic that is both engaging and feasible for academic writing. Additionally, finding sources early can help streamline the writing process, although further research may be necessary while drafting.

💡 Circular Research and Writing Process

This paragraph explains how research and writing are iterative processes. Even while writing, you may need to return to research, reinforcing the idea that research and topic selection are not linear but circular. By approaching research in this way, students can adjust their topics and arguments as needed, leading to a more robust final paper.

🎥 Testing a Topic: Reality TV Example

In this example, a student starts by choosing the topic 'The Bachelor' reality TV show. Initial research reveals a lack of scholarly sources, so the student broadens the scope to reality TV in general. However, this yields too many results, none of which form a cohesive thesis. Through further refinement, the topic 'dating and reality TV' strikes a balance between being too narrow and too broad, showing how exploratory research helps find a manageable focus.

📈 Refining and Shaping Your Research Topic

This paragraph emphasizes the importance of allowing time for exploratory research. By tweaking and refining a topic, students can ensure their topic is interesting, researchable, and aligned with the assignment's academic requirements. The aim is to avoid realizing too late that a topic is either too narrow or too broad.

📞 Need Help? Contact the Library

The final paragraph encourages students to reach out to the University of Houston libraries for assistance with choosing a topic or conducting exploratory research. It serves as a reminder that library resources and services are available to support the research process.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Research Topic

A research topic is the subject or focus of a research paper or study. In the video, selecting a research topic is described as a flexible process that involves exploration and refinement. Initially, it may just be an idea that evolves as you do more research, making it a central concept in shaping a successful academic paper.

💡Exploratory Research

Exploratory research is the initial phase of investigating a topic, where the goal is to gather information and refine ideas. The video emphasizes its importance in helping you determine whether your chosen topic is too broad or narrow. This step is essential to guide the direction of your final research topic.

💡Iterative Model

An iterative model refers to a cyclical process where research and writing influence each other continuously. The video describes the research process as non-linear, requiring students to return to research as they write, revise, and refine their topic and arguments. This model helps avoid common pitfalls like an unresearchable or overly broad topic.

💡Narrow Topic

A narrow topic is one that is too specific and lacks sufficient resources or scholarly material for thorough research. In the video, the example of 'The Bachelor' as a topic shows how starting too narrowly can result in difficulty finding adequate academic sources, prompting the need for expansion.

💡Broad Topic

A broad topic covers a wide range of subtopics or ideas, making it difficult to focus the research. The video illustrates this with the example of 'Reality TV,' which is too broad to manage effectively for a research paper, leading to an overwhelming amount of unrelated information.

💡Refining a Topic

Refining a topic is the process of adjusting and modifying a research idea to make it more focused and manageable. The video shows that through exploratory research, you may need to tweak your topic, as in the transition from 'The Bachelor' to 'dating and reality TV,' which strikes a more balanced scope.

💡Scholarly Research

Scholarly research refers to academic studies, journals, and articles that are peer-reviewed and credible for academic purposes. The video contrasts popular press sources with scholarly research, emphasizing the need to use scholarly material when required by professors.

💡Thesis

A thesis is the central argument or claim in a research paper. The video suggests that choosing an appropriate topic is crucial because it must be tied together coherently to form a strong thesis. A topic that is either too broad or too narrow can hinder the development of a solid thesis.

💡Research Databases

Research databases are collections of scholarly articles and resources that students can use to find credible academic material. The video mentions using these databases to test topics like 'dating and reality TV' to ensure there is enough relevant scholarly research available to support the paper.

💡Time Management

Time management refers to the planning required to allocate sufficient time for each stage of the research process. The video stresses the importance of building time into your schedule to explore, refine, and adjust your research topic, ensuring a successful outcome for the assignment.

Highlights

You get to choose the topic you will research and write about, but selecting a topic is part of the research process.

Writing a research paper is not a straight-line process; choosing a topic, finding sources, and writing are interconnected.

Your initial research topic is not set in stone; it's just an idea you can refine through exploratory research.

Exploratory research helps refine, tweak, and solidify a research topic that is interesting, meaningful, and academically engaging.

As you explore sources, you may find enough material to start writing and editing your paper.

The research and writing process is iterative; you may return to researching even as you write.

The example topic used is 'The Bachelor' reality TV show, but it has limited scholarly research, leading to a revision of the topic.

Tweaking the topic by broadening it to reality TV in general leads to too much information that lacks coherence.

Narrowing the topic to dating and reality TV provides a more manageable and focused area for research.

Following this iterative model helps avoid choosing topics that are too narrow or too broad.

It is crucial to build time into your research process to explore and adjust your topic.

By shaping an idea into a refined topic, you ensure it remains interesting and practical for research.

The iterative model of research and writing allows flexibility in adapting the research topic as needed.

The transcript emphasizes that research is a process of learning, tweaking, and refining ideas.

The University of Houston Libraries can provide additional help in choosing a research topic or conducting exploratory research.