- Choose A Topic<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>Pre-Search<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>Search<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>Take Inventory<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>Identify Keywords<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>Narrow Your Topic<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div>[vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n
Choose a Topic<\/h4>\n
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Start by drafting a research question.<\/strong><\/p>\n
If your topic is assigned to you:<\/strong>
\n\u2022\u00a0What clues does the assignment description give you about your topic?
\n\u2022\u00a0Can you focus on a narrower part of your assigned topic?<\/p>\nIf you need to choose your own topic:<\/strong>
\n\u2022\u00a0Choose something that interests you and your audience
\n\u2022\u00a0Use class readings and notes to guide you in your choice of topic
\n\u2022\u00a0What is a problem you would like to solve?
\n\u2022\u00a0What do you wish you knew more about?<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner]<\/div><\/div>
[vc_column_text]<\/p>\n\nPre-Search<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
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You will need to gather information about your topic. Taking time to read through information on your topic helps make sure you know the important concepts, dates, and people that need to be included in your search. These sources will help you learn more about your topic but are rarely used as official cited sources for academic work.<\/p>\n
Ways to start the pre-searching process:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\u2022 Gather ideas (websites, blogs, newspapers, topic overviews)
\n\u2022 Start building a list of terms as you gather your background information
\n\u2022 Create a concept map<\/p>\nTo find background information from Encyclopedias and dictionaries on your topic, do the following:<\/p>\n
– Enter a broad search term in the Library Quick Search<\/a> box.
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lib.utsa.edu\/LearningTechnology\/topics_and_keywords\/images\/q_off.png?crc=478977599\")
<\/a>
\n– When you have your results, go to Content Type and select More.<\/a>
\n– Choose Reference<\/strong>. Now you will have a list of background information, encyclopedias, and dictionaries to learn more about your topic.<\/a>
\n– Click Available Online<\/strong> to access the full text.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text]<\/div><\/div>
[vc_column_text]<\/p>\nSearch<\/h4>\n
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Developing a strong research topic can take many steps. Some may need to be repeated as your questions and interests change.<\/p>\n
Some useful tips to keep in mind:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\u2022 If one of your words doesn\u2019t find anything when you are searching, come back to your list and try something different.
\n\u2022 If everything you find mentions your keywords but isn’t really about you research question, you may need to focus your topic until you find better matches.
\n\u2022 If you can\u2019t find very much on your focused topic, try making your topic a little broader. You might not find much on the theme music for American wrestlers, but expanding your topic to theme music in sports might bring more results.
\n\u2022 Remember the search process is very fluid and it does vary! Revisit the steps in this module at any point as you research.<\/p>\nOnce you have a focused topic and a list of words to guide your work…you are ready to start gathering sources! Remember you can go back to any of these steps throughout your research.<\/p>\n
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[vc_column_text]<\/p>\nTake Inventory<\/h4>\n
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Figure out what you already know about your topic and what you still need to find out.<\/p>\n
The following list of questions creates a road map to keep you focused as you begin searching:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\u2022 What do you already know?
\n\u2022 What did you learn from your gathered information?
\n\u2022 What will you need to research more deeply?
\n\u2022 What questions do you need to answer about your topic?
\n\u2022 Start a list of questions![\"\"](\"http:\/\/lib.utsa.edu\/learning_technology\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/q_off.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text]<\/div><\/div>
[vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n\nIdentify Keywords<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
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It is helpful to have prepared a list of words that describe your topic. Think about how you might explain your topic to someone in your class. How would your language change if you were talking to your instructor?<\/p>\n
Some useful ways to think of keywords are to find:<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Synonyms (Example: Food, Meal, Cuisine, etc)
\n\u2022 Related terms
\n\u2022 Broader or narrower concepts
\n\u2022 Words found in pre-searching process<\/p>\nFor example, you might use the word “Food”, but you could also talk about Cooking or Dining or even Diets. These words will be the keywords that you use when conducting your research.<\/p>\n
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Example:<\/h4>\n
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\n\t\t- \n\t\t \n\t\t
- \n\t\t \n\t\t \t<\/i>\n\t\t Definitions<\/span>\n\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t
Food<\/strong>
\nEdible material.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/li>\n\t\n\t\t- \n\t\t
\n\t\t \t<\/i>\n\t\t Synonyms<\/span>\n\t\t <\/div>\n\t\tSynonyms<\/strong>
\nAliment, board, bread, cheer, chow, comestible, cookery, cooking, cuisine, diet, drink, eatable, eats, entr\u00e9e, fare, fast food, feed, foodstuff, goodies, grit, groceries, grub, handout, home cooking, keep, larder, meal, meat, menu, moveable feast, nourishment, nutriment, nutrition, pabulum, provision, ration, refreshment, slop, snack, store, subsistence, support, sustenance, table, take out, tuck, viand, victual, vittles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/li>\n\t\n\t\t- \n\t\t
\n\t\t \t<\/i>\n\t\t Related Terms<\/span>\n\t\t <\/div>\n\t\tCooking<\/strong>
\nBaking, boiling, brewing, broiling, browning, frying, grilling, heating, roasting, simmering, sizzling, steaming, steeping, stewing, toasting.<\/p>\nDining<\/strong>
\nBanquet, breakfast, consume, do lunch, eat out, fall to, feast, feed on, lunch, sup, supper.<\/p>\nDiet<\/strong>
\nDietary, fast, nutritional therapy, regime, regimen, restriction, starvation, weight-reduction plan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/li>\n\t\n\t\t <\/ul>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t[vc_column_text]Source:\u00a0<\/span>dictionary.com<\/span><\/a>\u00a0&\u00a0<\/span>thesaurus.com<\/span><\/a>[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator]<\/div><\/div>[vc_column_text]<\/p>\n\nNarrow Your Topic<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
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You may need to focus your topic. For example, you might start with a broad topic like \u201cfood.\u201d After finding some background information on food, you might decide you are really interested in food as a status symbol.<\/p>\n
Some things to keep in mind when focusing on a topic are:<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Focus on a particular aspect of your topic that interests you
\n\u2022 As you learn more, you may need to narrow your topic again<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/lib.utsa.edu\/learning_technology\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/arrow-graphics.png\")
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