Notes
Slide Show
Outline
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Narrowing Your Topic
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Think about your message…
  • In your paper…


  • WHAT are you going to
  • SAY about your topic?
  • or
  • What QUESTIONS are you going to ANSWER about your topic?
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And how are you going to do it…

  • in just  (how many )  pages?
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Narrowing Strategy 1: Aspect
  • Focus on a particular ASPECT of the topic:


  •  Not: Ice


  •  But: Psychological effects of ice


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Narrowing Strategy 2: Time
  • Focus on your topic during a particular TIME PERIOD


  • Ice use
  • between
  • 1990 and 2000
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Narrowing Strategy 3: Type
  • Focus on a specific TYPE or CLASS of people or things as they relate to your topic


  • Female ice users
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Narrowing Strategy 4: Place
  • Focus on a particular PLACE


  •     Ice use
  •     in Hawaii
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Narrowing Strategy 5: Add Two Topics
  • Focus on the relationship between
    TWO DIFFERENT TOPICS




  • Ice and unemployment
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Now, a really big tip:
  • COMBINE different kinds of focuses:


  •      Relationship between unemployment and the psychological effects of ice in women in Hawaii between 1990-2000
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Ok, maybe that’s going too far…
  • Are you really going to find enough information about the relationship between unemployment and the psychological effects of ice in women in Hawaii between 1990-2000 ?



  • (Probably not)


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But how about this…
  • What can you SAY about…


  •    The relationship between ice use and unemployment in Hawaii from 1990 until the present


  • What QUESTIONS could you try to ANSWER about …


  •    The psychological effects of ice use by teenage girls


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To Recap:
  • Narrow your topic by focusing on:
  • Aspect
  • Time
  • Type
  • Place
  • Its relationship with a second topic
  • A combination of two or more of the above