Smart Student Library Guide

Step 3: Investigating a topic

The first step in writing your paper is choosing a topic that interests you. Refer to your assignment for general topic guidance. Consider discussing your specific topic ideas with your instructor or one of our librarians. Try to pick a topic that is broad enough to find plenty of research materials, but narrow enough to handle in the length of paper you have been assigned. If you start with a broad topic, you can then gradually narrow it down to a specific aspect of that topic that interests you. One way to help narrow down a topic is to look at the index and articles of a specialized subject encyclopedia related to the subject area of your topic. Such encyclopedias are available on the first floor of the library in the reference collection, and examples are listed below.

Here are some examples of taking a broad topic and then narrowing it down to a specific aspect suitable for a paper topic:

Broad topic	Narrower topics	Example of specific issues or topics
Social justice	fair trade human rights monitoring human trafficking and slavery ethnic equality poverty alleviation gender equality	How do fair trade organic coffee cooperatives benefit coffee growers?
Destruction of the environment	global warming endangered species ozone layer acid rain toxic waste renewable energy	Can increases in funding for mass transit help reduce greenhouse gas emissions? What role can hybrid and electric cars play in reducing global warming?
Economic inequality	microcredit globalization impacts worker health and safety international debt trade balance	How can small loans given through microcredit organizations help to reduce poverty in developing nations?

For help narrowing down or further investigating a topic, consider browsing in a subject encyclopedia such as the selected examples listed below. Once you choose a topic that interests you, these types of books can also be a good resource to gather some basic facts and background information on your topic.

International Encyclopedia of Environmental Politics - Ebook available online	A Handbook of Globalisation and Environmental Policy - Ebook available online	Encyclopedia of Human Rights Issues since 1945 - Ebook available online
Encyclopedia of Race and Racism - Ebook available online	Encyclopedia of Animal Rights and Animal Welfare - Ebook available online	The Human Rights Encyclopedia - Located in the Reference Collection on the 1st floor at call number JC571 .L523 2001
Encyclopedia of Environmental Issues - Located in the Reference Collection on the 1st floor at call number GE10 .E52 2000	Encyclopedia of Activism and Social Justice - Located in the Reference Collection on the 1st floor at call number HM671 .E53 2007	Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life - Located in the Reference Collection on the 1st floor at call number BX1753 .E595 2007

Need more help with narrowing down your topic? Try Choosing a topic guide from Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL).