Narrowing Your Topic
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? |
And how are you going to
do it…
|
|
|
|
|
in just (how many ) pages? |
Narrowing Strategy 1:
Aspect
|
|
|
Focus on a particular ASPECT of the
topic: |
|
|
|
Not: Ice |
|
|
|
But: Psychological effects of ice |
|
|
Narrowing Strategy 2:
Time
|
|
|
Focus on your topic during a particular
TIME PERIOD |
|
|
|
Ice use |
|
between |
|
1990 and 2000 |
Narrowing Strategy 3:
Type
|
|
|
Focus on a specific TYPE or CLASS of
people or things as they relate to your topic |
|
|
|
Female ice users |
Narrowing Strategy 4:
Place
|
|
|
Focus on a particular PLACE |
|
|
|
Ice use |
|
in Hawaii |
Narrowing Strategy 5:
Add Two Topics
|
|
|
Focus on the relationship between
TWO DIFFERENT TOPICS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ice and unemployment |
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 |
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) |
|
|
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 |
|
|
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 |