Please be sure to review your class assignment instructions--they give excellent ideas for narrowing your topic.
Below are some other ideas and examples for narrowing your topic and beginning research in a library database. These are only ideas--you don't have to follow these examples exactly in your project!
Note on the library keyword searches below:
- We put keyword phrases of two or more words inside quotation marks, for example: "Black Lives Matter"
- When linking keywords with OR, we "nest" those keywords inside parentheses, for example: (family OR children)
- We use the * symbol to find alternative endings for keywords, for example: immigra* tells the library database to find immigrant, immigrants, immigrate, or immigration
Narrow the topic of Race Issues
- Try thinking of a more specific issue that relates to the general topic of race issues, for example:
- Black Lives Matter
- Examples of library keyword searches to research Black Lives Matter:
- "Black Lives Matter" AND protests
- "Black Lives Matter" AND "social media"
- "Black Lives Matter" AND politics
Narrow the topic of Homelessness
- Try thinking of a population of people affected by homelessness, for example:
- women
- Examples of library keyword searches to research homelessness and women:
- homeless* AND women
- homeless* AND "single mothers"
- homeless* AND women AND health
Narrow the topic of Social Class
- It may help to research a specific social class, for example:
- working poor
- Examples of library keyword searches to research the working poor:
- "working poor" AND (assistance OR aid) AND programs
- "working poor" AND (stress OR depression OR "mental health")
- "working poor" AND (family OR children)
Narrow the topic of Health Care
- Try to think of specific aspects of health care that affect society, for example:
- equal access to health care
- Examples of library keyword searches to research equal access to health care:
- ("health care" OR healthcare) AND access AND (equal OR disparity OR unequal)
- ("health care" OR healthcare) AND access AND (minorities OR immigrants)
- ("health care" OR healthcare) AND access AND uninsured
Narrow the topic of Gender
- Try to think of a population of people affected by gender issues, for example:
- transgender adolescents
- Examples of library keyword searches to research transgender adolescents:
- transgender AND (adolescen* OR teenage*) AND "self image"
- transgender AND (adolescen* OR teenage*) AND (family OR siblings OR parents)
- transgender AND (adolescen* OR teenage*) AND (community OR support)
Narrow the topic of the Environment
- Try to think of a specific issue that affects the environment, for example:
- carbon emissions
- Examples of library keyword searches to research carbon emissions:
- "carbon emissions" AND (laws OR regulations)
- "carbon emissions" AND politics
- "carbon emissions" AND "climate change"
Narrow the topic of Immigration
- Try to think of a population of people affected by immigration, such as:
- children of immigrants
- Examples of library keyword searches to research children of immigrants:
- immigra* AND child* AND (stress OR "mental health")
- immigra* AND child* AND (education OR college)
- immigra* AND child* AND ("health care" OR healthcare)
Narrow the topic of Sexual Orientation
- Try to think of a societal issue associated with a specific sexual orientation, for example:
- LGBTQ rights
- Examples of library keyword searches to research LGBTQ rights:
- (LGBTQ OR gay OR lesbian OR bisexual OR transexual OR queer) AND (rights OR equality)
- (LGBTQ OR gay OR lesbian OR bisexual OR transexual OR queer) AND (jobs OR employment OR workplace)
- (LGBTQ OR gay OR lesbian OR bisexual OR transexual OR queer) AND "coming out" AND (family OR parents)
Narrow the topic of Technology
- Try to think of a societal issue having to do with technology, such as:
- rural communities' access to the Internet
- Examples of library keyword searches to research rural communities' access to the Internet:
- rural AND internet
- rural AND internet AND (education OR classroom)
- rural AND internet AND ("health care" OR healthcare OR medic*)