Choosing a Research Paper Topic Worksheet Students often find establishing a topic for a research paper a challenge. The purpose of this document is to help you narrow your ideas to create a great research topic. The most common mistake students make when selecting a topic is choosing one that is too broad. We can construct a focused research topic that can be completed in the size allotted by asking ourselves the questions what, when, where, who, and why. Directions: Read the example below and use it as a guide while completing the worksheet on the next page. After you have finished, choose As’ and save this document with your ‘Save name in the file name. Lastly, you can attach it to your Outlook email and send it to your professor. Topic in the broadest Criminal Justice sense What about the topic? Example: prisons/courts/police What area of criminal justice are you going to write about? When? What time eras Example: versus pre-9/11 are you interested in? Where? What Example: United States/California/ New York City geographical location is the topic set in? Who? What Example: Americans/lawyers nationality, ethnic, cultural, religious, or other category are you going to write about? Why? What question are Example: Success in rehabilitation you going to try to answer? What problem are you analyzing or evaluating? What value judgment are you making? Example Topic: The successes in rehabilitation of female inmates in modern American prisons.
Choosing a Research Paper Topic Worksheet Students often find establishing a topic for a research paper a challenge. The purpose of this document is to help you narrow your ideas to create a great research topic. The most common mistake students make when selecting a topic is choosing one that is too broad. We can construct a focused research topic that can be completed in the size allotted by asking ourselves the questions what, when, where, who, and why. Directions: Read the example below and use it as a guide while completing the worksheet on the next page. After you have finished, choose ‘Save As’ and save this document with your name in the file name. Lastly, you can attach it to your Outlook email and send it to your professor. Topic in the broadest sense Criminal Justice What about the topic? What area of criminal justice are you going to write about? Example: prisons/courts/police When? What time eras are you interested in? Example: versus pre-9/11 Where? What geographical location is the topic set in? Example: United States/California/ New York City Who? What nationality, ethnic, cultural, religious, or other category are you going to write about? Example: Americans/lawyers Why? What question are you going to try to answer? What problem are you analyzing or evaluating? What value judgment are you making? Example: Success in rehabilitation Example Topic: The successes in rehabilitation of female inmates in modern American prisons.
CRM220_Research_Topic_Worksheet.docx