Choosing a Topic
From PhillipsWiki
"Do not hunt for subjects, let them choose you, not you them." --Samuel Butler
TIP: Avoid "premature cognitive commitment" (Academic jargon for deciding on a thesis too soon and then seeking information to serve that thesis rather than embarking on a genuine search for new knowledge.)
Choosing a topic is the first step in the research process. It is itself a process and is facilitated by close reading of the primary text, aided by a reading journal. Here are the steps:
TIP: In your journal, record spontaneously those quotations, ideas, questions, observations, and associations that move you, the reader. Also record the page where you can later find the source of your responses.
- Growing awareness of interesting qualities within the primary text
- Choosing an area of interest for research
- Asking productive questions that help explore and evaluate a topic
- Creating a preliminary research question
- Revising and refining to form a working thesis
Still stuck? Use this handy tool to help choose a topic.
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