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CJUS 3130: Research Methods

This guide will assist you in conducting criminal justice research..

Topic Selection Guide

Narrowing a Topic

Process of Narrowing a Topic

A hierarchy illustrating the topic selection process from most broad to most narrow: all possible topics, assigned topic, topic narrowed by initial exploration, and topic narrowed to research question/questions.

  1. Read the Assignment – You’ll need to narrow your topic in order to do research effectively. Without specific areas of focus, it will be hard to even know where to begin, so read your assignment carefully. 
  2. Think About What Interests You – After you have honed in on topics that meet the purpose of your assignment, begin thinking about what interests you. One way to get ideas is to read background information in a source like Wikipedia.
  3. Explore Library Databases – It’s wise to do some more reading about your topic to learn more about it, and learn specialized terms used by professionals and scholars who study it. Check the library databases to make sure that your topic is not too broad or too narrow. This may take some time, but it will save you time later. Your goal should be to get the perfect amount of information so that it is not too overwhelming. 
  4. Develop Your Research Question – After you narrow your topic, think about precisely what you are trying to find out. Identifying a topic's research questions will influence most of the steps you take to conduct the research.