Skip to Main Content

EPS 5199: Using FDU's Online Library

Conduct Background Information, Refine Your Topic, & Develop a Research Question

 

Header image reading: Search background information about your topic to learn more about it. Search resources like encyclopedias (CREDO), books (Discovery Catalog), or Google (Wikipedia) to explore narrower topics within your topic, which can help you to refine your topic and the scope of the project. This process will help you to create a research question or thesis statement that fulfills your assignment.

Conduct Background Research

A great place to begin your research is by doing BACKGROUND RESEARCH. Sometimes a Wikipedia or Google Search, or doing a general Discovery Search in the library catalog is where you may begin. From there you focus in and use reference resources like the ones listed below to receive information from credible and reliable resources about your topic. 

  • Credo Reference 
    • This database includes encyclopedia entries, as well as a map of terms related to your topic that have been searched together commonly. This database also offers links to articles in other databases we offer through the FDU Libraries. 
  • Funk and Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia 
    • This database pulls encyclopedia entries, articles, videos, and much more on a wide variety of topics that can help you to narrow down your research topic. 
  • Points of View Reference Center
    • This database allows you to easily browse articles about a topic to see what others are writing about. This can be helpful to spark some ideas of your own! As well as to find key words for searching later on. 

Click here for access to all of FDU's online reference sources. 

Refine Your Topic and Develop a Research Question

Since your thesis statement is essentially an answer to a question, it can be helpful to frame your topic ideas as questions. Write a few down to see if you can turn your ideas into a RESEARCH QUESTION. Your questions should be open-ended to allow for multiple interpretations and in-depth exploration of your topic.

Example: How does the private prison industry contribute to the issue of mass incarceration in the United States? How does the private prison industry influence criminal sentences for low level drug offenders?

To help you determine if your research question is viable and appropriate, ask yourself the questions below:

Viable

Is my topic too big or too simple for the length requirement?  
Has anything been written on my topic?
Has enough been written on my topic?
Is there current information on my topic? 
Do I find this topic interesting enough to write a paper on it?
Is this topic appropriate for an academic paper? 

Appropriate

Can the question be answered yes or no?
Can the question be answered in one sentence or a single paragraph?
Have entire books been written to answer this question? 
Does the question ask for a conclusion to be drawn once the facts are known? 

Exercise 2

Spend five minutes doing background research to narrow down your topic. Then go to the worksheet and:

  1. Type a research question you would like to investigate.
  2. Use the questions in the box to determine if your question is both viable and appropriate. Answer by highlighting or bolding the “yes” or “no.”