*Research 101

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 history! 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 United States or Tokyo.
• Chronologically - limit by a time period like the Renaissance or 19th century.
• People or Groups - limit to a specific person or group such as Leonardo da Vinci or the Luddites.
• Current or Historical Events - limit to a particular event such as World War II or the 2016 presidential election.
• Specific Examples - limit to specific examples of a broad topic. For example, instead of music, consider hip-hop or drumming.

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.