Picking a Topic is Research
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
- ๐ Choosing a research topic is an iterative process intertwined with finding sources, reading, and writing.
- ๐ Your initial topic idea isn't fixed; exploratory research helps refine and tweak it.
- ๐ Exploratory research can lead to new directions, questions, or even a new topic altogether.
- โจ The goal is to find a topic that is interesting, academically engaging, and manageable.
- ๐ During research and writing, it's okay to return to researching for additional information.
- ๐ Research and writing follow a circular process, not a straight-line path.
- ๐บ Narrow topics, like researching a single TV show, may not yield enough scholarly sources.
- โ๏ธ Broad topics, like reality TV in general, can overwhelm with too much unrelated information.
- ๐ก Finding a balanced, manageable topic is keyโlike focusing on a sub-genre of reality TV.
- ๐ 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
๐ 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 pathโchoosing a topic and then writingโthe 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.
๐ 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.
๐ก 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.
๐ฅ 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.
๐ 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.
๐ 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
๐กResearch Topic
๐กExploratory Research
๐กIterative Model
๐กNarrow Topic
๐กBroad Topic
๐กRefining a Topic
๐กScholarly Research
๐กThesis
๐กResearch Databases
๐กTime Management
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.
Transcripts
picking a topic is research brought to
you by the university of houston
libraries
your professor has just assigned a
research paper and you get to choose the
topic
you will research and write about but
just how do you go about choosing a
research topic
you may think writing a research paper
is a straight line path
you need to pick a topic right away and
stick with it then you can move on to
finding sources and reading through them
and once you have all your sources you
can start writing your paper
but the research and writing process is
a lot messier than that
choosing your topic is intertwined with
finding and reading sources and writing
and editing your paper
choosing a topic is research when you
first pick a research topic it isn't set
in stone
it's just an idea that you learn more
about with some exploratory research
this initial research might make you
want to continue to learn about this
topic
inspire new questions or take you in an
entirely new direction with a new topic
and that's okay the whole point of
exploratory research is to help you
refine tweak
and solidify a research topic that is
interesting to you and others
meaningful and academically engaging a
bonus
is that as you explore information you
may find you have enough sources to
start writing and editing your paper
even then
as you're writing you may find that you
need to pull in additional pieces of
information
and you may return to researching this
is a circular or iterative model of
research and writing
so let's try going through an example
topic using this research model
let's say you pick a topic that is
interesting to you the reality tv show
the bachelor
as you test the topic with some internet
research and in article databases
you discover that there is lots written
about it in the popular press but not
much scholarly research which is what
your professor requires
realizing that maybe your topic is a bit
too narrowly defined
decide to tweak it by broadening the
scope to reality tv in general
but when you test this new topic you
wind up drowning in a sea of research
all of which has to do with reality tv
but doesn't tie together
to form a coherent thesis at this point
you might wonder if there's a happy
medium between the bachelor which is too
narrow a topic
and reality tv which is too broad
since the bachelor is just one of
several reality shows about dating and
romance
perhaps there's more written about this
sub-genre testing this topic
dating and reality tv in some of the
library's research databases
yields a more promising and manageable
number of results
by following this process of using
research to define a topic
you are able to avoid realizing too late
that your topic is unresearchable
or drowning in a sea of research from a
topic that is too broad in scope
it is important to build in the time to
explore and tweak your topic
so that you can take an idea and shape
it into a topic that you still find
interesting
and can realistically use for a research
assignment
for more help choosing a topic or
conducting exploratory research
contact the uh libraries
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