Quite often, however, you must develop a specific topic from a broad general subject like sexual harassment or the environment. W hether you are given a specific topic or a general topic, you will need to shape it and give it focus. Are you supposed to form your own opinion on an issue or simply gather the facts. Once you clearly understand the requirements of your assignment, you can begin the work of choosing and defining a topic. Find a Topic Sometimes deciding exactly what you want to research can be the most difficult part of the whole research process.
Most good research starts with a question or two.
There are many places you can go to find ideas and questions to turn into interesting research topics. Here are just a few suggestions . . . Once you have a topic idea, brainstorm the various aspects of that topic. Developing a list of synonyms is crucial when you begin looking for information. Once you have a general idea of your topic, think about ways to narrow and broaden that topic.