Contact Your Librarians
. Text 860.407.6081
Email to
Phone 860.932.4007
Library Hours
Fall Semester Hours for QV Danielson Campus Library
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Monday. 8am-8pm
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Tuesday. 8am-8pm
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Wednesday. 8am-8pm
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Thursday. 8am-8pm
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Friday. 8am-2pm
Fall Semester Hours for QV Willimantic Campus Library
- Monday. 11am-7pm
- Wednesday. 3pm-7pm
Why do I Need to narrow my topic?
A research topic needs to be narrow enough--focused enough--so that you can accomplish many things in just 3-10 pages (depending on your instructor's page requirements). You'll need to explain your thesis or research question, give your reader background information or context and explain your subject generally or from the perspective of your discipline of study (e.g. sociology, psychology, etc.). You may need to argue a position utilizing supporting evidence. And, you'll need to reach and write a conclusion. To do all that in just a few pages, your topic must be very specific. The tools on this page can help. Experiment and find the approach that is right for you.
Narrowing Your Topic
If you are researching a topic that you are not familiar with, you can use our reference materials to learn more about your topic. Simply search for your broad topic in one of these databases and then begin a more narrow search when you find the area of the topic that is most exciting to you.
- CQ Press Library This link opens in a new window CQ Press provides the reference resources for research in American government, politics, history, public policy, and current affairs. Includes access to the following collections: Congress Collection, CQ Almanac, CQ Researcher Plus Archive, CQ Magazine, Encyclopedia of American Government, Politics in America, Public Affairs Collection, Supreme Court Collection, Supreme Court Yearbook, Voting and Elections Collection.
- CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window CQ Researcher offers in-depth, unbiased coverage of political and social issues, with regular reports on a wide range of topics including: health, international affairs, education, the environment, technology, the U.S. economy, crime, and civil liberties. This acclaimed and award-winning weekly publication provides a balanced view of today's most pressing social, political, and economic issues. Each weekly report covers the given topic in a non-sensationalized manner, and many reports feature a pro/con debate, highlighting both sides of the argument. Access over 700 hot topics with pros and cons for your research papers and projects.
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window Credo Reference is a general knowledge database providing articles, images, charts, maps and other materials on thousands of topics. With 750+ searchable, full-text titles, Credo Reference places particular emphasis on subject encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, and reference handbooks. Also included are more than 1,100 short reference videos, more than 475,000 high-resolution art images, photographs, and maps across all subject areas.
- History Reference Center This link opens in a new window Full text for more than 1,990 reference books, encyclopedias and non-fiction books from leading history publishers. Covering both U.S. and world history topics, History Reference Center is a full-text database featuring historical reference books, magazines, journals and thousands of primary source documents.
The Sea of Content
There is so much content on the internet. Just typing APPLES into Google will result in 9 trillion results! It is impossible to look through all that content to find the right information.
When researching, try to narrow your topic. The more detailed your topic, the more likely you'll find exact information.
Ask Yourself Questions
If you are doing a research project on apples, that is too broad of a search term. Start by asking a question:
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Question |
Answer |
| What do I want to know more with Apples? | I want to know more about how Apples Become Cider! |
Apple Cider is more precise than Apples, but it is still a bit too broad. Instead, ask yourself another question
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Question |
Answer |
| What do I want to know about Apple Cider? | I want to know how Apple Cider is made! |
The making of apple cider is now precise, but we can narrow the topic even more by asking another question:
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Question |
Answer |
| What do I want to know about Making Apple Cider? | I want to know how Fermentation Makes Apple Cider |
The Fermentation of Apple Cider is now a very precise topic!
If you are having trouble coming up with questions for your specific topic you can try to use the 5Ws to narrow down your search.
- Using the 5Ws to Narrow My TopicUse these give questions to help you narrow down your research topic.