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If possible, select a topic that interests you. If your instructor assigns a topic, make the most of it by finding something about it that interests you. Narrow the topic as much as possible.
For example, If I wanted to research the American Revolution I might narrow it down to a few specific battles or an important figure, like George Washington, I don't want to narrow it down too much, like one figure in a specific battle as I may not find enough information for my assignment.
Explore your topic using a reference resource like an encyclopedia to learn more about the topic and find keywords for searching.
Once you have some background information about your topic, creating a research question will help narrow your focus on your topic. It will also help to determine keywords for searching the library catalog and/or databases. For example Was the battle of Yorktown the turning point in the American Revolution?
Think about the questions you want to answer. If you have been given a prompt, this can be very helpful. If not, think about how to fill in the following sentence.
I want to research ____(what/who)____
and ____(what/who)____
in ____(where)____
during ____(when)____
because ____(why)____.
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