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: Stress


  •  But: Causes of stress


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


  • Stress-related
    illnesses reported
  • from
    1990 to 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


  • Stress in adolescents
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Narrowing Strategy 4: Place
  • Focus on a particular PLACE


  •     Stress reduction
     education in
  •     in Hawaii
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Narrowing Strategy 5: Add Two Topics
  • Focus on the relationship between
    TWO DIFFERENT TOPICS




  • Stress and depression
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Now, a really big tip:
  • COMBINE different kinds of focuses:


  •      The effectiveness of stress reduction education in preventing adolescent depression in Hawaii from 1990-2000
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Ok, maybe that’s going too far…


  • Are you really going to find enough information about that?



  • (Probably not)


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


  •    The relationship between stress and depression in adolescents?


  • What QUESTIONS could you try to ANSWER about …


  •    The long-term effectiveness of stress reduction education?
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A Review of Narrowing Strategies:
  • 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