Finding a Topic with Gale Opposing Viewpoints
Need a Little Inspiration? We Got You Covered!
Gale Opposing Viewpoints
Sometimes a research assignment is so broad there isn't even an assigned topic to explore. When you need that first spark of inspiration, try browsing through the list of topics in Gale Opposing Viewpoints.
This list consists of hundreds of historical and contemporary events issues, both national and global. It's essentially an encyclopedia of potential research topics that directly connects you to reference entries, scholarly articles, news reports, and more!
Global Issues in Context
In Context: Global Issues is another resource that expands on the international perspectives of the issues in Gale Opposing Viewpoints including government, law, health, science and technology, society and culture, and more. This database also has a Browse Issues page that works as a list of potential topics. These two resources are cross-searchable, meaning HCC community members can access both databases through the same search function and even retrieve results from both databases at once.
Choosing a Topic
What Makes a Good Research Topic?
Choosing a topic without doing some background research on it can result in a topic that is too narrow or too broad to write a research paper on. Watch the short video above to help you conceptualize how a usable (and interesting) research topic is formed by tweaking the topic as you go.
KWHL Chart
Forming a Research Question: Where to Start?
College and university-level research assignments are often somewhat open-ended. When you're choosing a topic, consider where your interests lay and choose something that sparks passion in you, whether that feeling is curiosity, excitement, or even frustration!
Using a tool like a KWHL Chart can help you clarify what the nature of your interest in a topic is and point you in the direction of where to start the research process. First consider what you Know about that topic, then determine what you Want to know. Next, form a plan of action for How you'll find that information. Finally, summarize what you have Learned.
Ex. James was instructed to write a research paper on Othello for their English class and to reference existing literary criticism. They decided to jot down some notes in a KWHL Chart to organize their thoughts and brainstorm what databases to search for sources:
- KWHL WorksheetUse this worksheet to keep your goals in mind throughout the research process.
What To Avoid
What to Avoid While Forming a Thesis:
Starting with a research question for an English paper will typically result in forming a thesis, a claim that you make that has evidence to support it. Keys for Writers (Raimes and Miller-Cochran) describes what types of statements are NOT acceptable theses:
- "a neutral statement, which gives no hint of the writer's position"
- "an announcement of the paper's broad subject"
- "a fact, which is not arguable"
- "a truism (statement that is obviously true)"
- "a personal or religious conviction that cannot be logically debated"
- "an opinion based only on your feelings"
- "a sweeping generalization" (Section 4C, pg. 52)
The problem with all of these statements is that none of them are arguable in the context of an academic research paper. You should feel empowered to take a strong position in your thesis as long as there are concrete examples to support your take. In a literary research paper for example, this evidence will typically come from your own close readings of literary texts as well as other arguments from literary critics in academic articles.
Research Myths
Image: "Nandor Misinformation" by Glutnix is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Common Research Myths
Every question has a singular answer
- Not necessarily! Experts disagree with each other all the time (the collective pool of these debates is what we call scholarly discourse). Even when it comes to scientifically tested data, new information is always being produced that complicates the answers to our questions.
Research is a linear process
- Research is more like an expedition into a new landscape than it is a short trip down a straight road. Most of the time research questions are complicated enough that finding all the relevant information requires looking in more than one location and experimenting with a variety of search strategies. Sometimes you may even find yourself retracing your steps or starting over. This is normal, so don't feel discouraged!
Google is a sufficient search tool
- For academic-level research, Google will rarely find the quality sources you need. Part of this has to do with the fact that the Google algorithm isn't designed to find the most relevant results for your search, but instead is intended to show you the links it thinks you're most likely to click on. Remember, your clicks make someone money, so use Google sparingly and with a critical eye!
Freely available internet resources are sufficient for academic work
- Free online resources are often popular sources as opposed to scholarly sources which tend to live behind paywalls. The Library pays for your access to these high-value scholarly sources by subscribing to academic databases, so you can still find the information you need at no additional cost to yourself. The one exception to this rule is that there is an Open Access Movement in academia to make more scholarly resources freely available to the public. If you're interested in Open Access, ask a librarian what sites are credible!
All library resources are credible
- The library ensures equitable, free access to information for the HCC community, but ultimately it is up to you to evaluate a library resource as accurate, credible, and useful for your academic purposes. For guidance on how to make that call, check out the Evaluating a Source page of this guide!