[教你如何写出完美的论文--系列教程(10.DVD)].01.Picking.an.A..Topic.pdf


Part 1: What Is a Research Paper?
The Deinition of a Research Paper
A research paper is a paper that:
* presents an original approach to some academic topic,
* organized around a central thesis,
* using insights based on research, and
* citing sources in a scholarly fashion.
Part 2: From Subject to Topic
The Hierarchy of a Research Paper
Research papers (and most examples of scholarly writing) follow the following hierarchy, focusing down
from a highly general subject to a highly speciic thesis:
What Is Your Subject?
If you were assigned a subject, write it here:____________________________________________________
For more information, call 1-800-238-1512 or visit us online at videoaidedinstruction.com.
If you were not assigned a subject, consider these strategies:
#1.Look at the Table of Contents in the textbook for the course you’re studying. Which chap- 3
ter, part, or section names cover people, things, places, events, or ideas that you have
found especially interesting? Your subject could be one of these general areas.
#2.Take a stroll through the library or bookstore, paying careful attention to books, periodi-
cals, and other media that are related to the course you’re studying. Your subject could be
one of the general areas covered by these materials.
#3.Ask your teachers or professors for some guidance: In their experience, what sorts of sub-
jects have their most successful students covered in their research papers? What sorts of
subjects have they rarely seen a research paper cover but would ind most interesting?
List some potential subjects here (later, when you decide on your speciic subject, circle it):
What Is Your Topic?
If you were assigned a topic, write it here:______________________________________________________
If you were not assigned a topic, consider these strategies for exploring various facets of your subject in
order to focus on a topic:
#1.Think about an important turning point in the events within your subject. Your topic could
relate to the causes or effects of this turning point.
#2.Think about some fact you discovered that surprised you about your subject, something
that thwarted your expectations. What made it surprising? Why did you expect something
else? Your topic could relate to why your expectations were wrong.
#3.Think about an oversimpliication that is commonly made regarding your subject. Your
topic could relate to the complexitities that undermine this oversimpliication.
#4.Think about a trend or “story” that connects several different events within your subject.
Your topic could relate to connecting these events together, tracing the trend or “story”
along the way.
#5.Think about two or more situations or personalities within your subject that have qualities
that are either similar or different. What caused them to have these qualities? What effects
did these qualities have? Your topic could relate to comparing and/or contrasting these situ-
ations or personalities.
#6.Take a stroll through the library or bookstore, paying careful attention to books, periodi-
cals, and other media that are related to the course you’re studying. When you ind an
interesting topic that is only addressed in about a dozen or so materials, consider address- For more information, call 1-800-238-1512 or visit us online at videoaidedinstruction.com.
ing a similar or related topic in your research paper.
#7.Ask your teachers or professors for some guidance: In their experience, what sorts of topics4
have their most successful students covered in their research papers? What sorts of topics
have they rarely seen a research paper cover but would ind most interesting?
Your topic shouldn’t be so broad that literally hundreds of books or articles have been written about it (in
which case it would be too broad, and thus large enough to be considered a subject).
Your topic shouldn’t be so narrow that only a handful of books or articles have been written about it (in
which case it would be too narrow, and thus you would not be able to locate suficient research sources).
A good topic:
* is not merely a narrative,
* is not too broad,
* is not too narrow,
* has research sources,
* has not been overdone, and
* interests you.
As you do your background reading, look for:
* a topic that interests you,
* a topic about which a good amount of research material appears to be available, and
* a question that seems intriguing, is not obvious, and that is the right scope for your paper to
answer (neither too broad nor too narrow).
List some potential topics here (later, when you decide on your speciic topic, circle it):
__________________________________________________________________________________________
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Part 3: A Working Thesis
What Is Your Question?
Your research question is just the question or “puzzle” about the topic that your research paper will at-
tempt to answer or solve.
List some potential questions here (later, when you decide on your speciic question, circle it):
__________________________________________________________________________________________
What Is Your Working Thesis?
A working thesis is a hypothetical answer to your research question — one that will guide you during your
research. It probably won’t be the exact thesis you’ll discuss in your inal research paper, but it might be.
A good working thesis:
* can be stated in a single clear sentence,
* is a positive, non-obvious statement, and
* can be tested through research.
List some potential working theses here (later, when you decide on your speciic working thesis, circle it):
__________________________________________________________________________________________