Narrowing Your Topic
Think about your message…
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In your paper… |
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WHAT are you going to |
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SAY about your topic? |
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or |
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What QUESTIONS are you going to
ANSWER about your topic? |
And how are you going to
do it…
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in just (how many ) pages? |
Narrowing Strategy 1:
Aspect
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Focus on a particular ASPECT of
the topic: |
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Not: Stress |
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But: Causes of stress |
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Narrowing Strategy 2:
Time
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Focus on your topic during a
particular TIME PERIOD |
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Stress-related
illnesses reported |
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from
1990 to 2000 |
Narrowing Strategy 3:
Type
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Focus on a specific TYPE or
CLASS of people or things as they relate to your topic |
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Stress in adolescents |
Narrowing Strategy 4:
Place
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Focus on a particular PLACE |
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Stress reduction
education in |
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in Hawaii |
Narrowing Strategy 5: Add
Two Topics
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Focus on the relationship
between
TWO DIFFERENT TOPICS |
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Stress and depression |
Now, a really big tip:
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COMBINE different kinds of
focuses: |
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The effectiveness of stress reduction
education in preventing adolescent depression in Hawaii from 1990-2000 |
Ok, maybe that’s going
too far…
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Are you really going to find enough
information about that? |
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(Probably not) |
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But how about this…
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What can you SAY about… |
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The relationship between stress and
depression in adolescents? |
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What QUESTIONS could you try to
ANSWER about … |
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The long-term effectiveness of stress
reduction education? |
A Review of Narrowing
Strategies:
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Narrow your topic by focusing
on: |
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Aspect |
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Time |
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Type |
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Place |
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Its relationship with a second topic |
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A combination of two or more of
the above |