Humanities: Enlightenment (18th Century) to Present

Typically a research topic should be narrowed and focused, which will be more manageable than an overly broad topic. Think how hard it would be to write a 5-page paper on just the 18th century! What would you include? How would you structure it? By focusing your topic, you will have an easier time with your research.

You may start with a broad topic, and not be sure how to focus it. By exploring background information you can learn about a topic and its parts. As you read through background information, consider if you can focus your topic in the following ways:

• Geographically - limit by a region, country, state, or city like Europe or Paris
• Chronologically - limit by a time period like 18th century or Victorian era
• People or Groups - limit to a specific person or group such as Isaac Newton or the Luddites
• Current or Historical Events - limit to a particular event such as the French Revolution or the crowning of Queen Victoria
• Specific Examples - limit to specific examples of a broad topic. For example, instead of art, consider Neoclassicism or The Grand Tour.

Reference books can provide background information on various topics, helping you to better understand your topic. Typically entries on topics will be brief, between 1-20 pages, and can help you find related topics and areas.

Background information can help you learn about the history, scope, depth, and breadth of your topic. It can be useful to help you understand a subject, as well as give you information to help you narrow a topic.

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Credo Reference is a online database that contains the full text of more than 900 online reference books. The results in this database will give you brief information about subjects and help you learn more as you narrow your topic. You can also use the mind map feature to explore related topics.