The Research Process

Topic

Subtopics

Sources

Read/Think/Select

Notetake

Sort & Number Notes

Putting the pieces together.

Copyright 2002 Deborah B. Stanley

All rights reserved

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Made and distributed byDeborah B. Stanley

Researchprocess@aol.com

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Let’s focus on:

SelectingSubtopics

Subtopics

Concepts to Consider

“What do I want to know about my topic?”

Where do they come from?

Why are subtopics so important?

How do I know if a subtopic is “good”?

Subtopics focus research by answering the question:

How many should I use?

Subtopics

Subtopics focus your research:

“WHAT do I want to know about

(my topic)?”

Subtopics

“HOW do I create a plan to explore (my topic)?”

Why are subtopicsso important?

“You have absolutely

Because if you don’t have subtopics,

idea what you are doing!” Subtopics

Subtopicsbecome the plan

for research!

Like an architect’s blueprints,

Or a doctor’s x-ray,

Subtopics

Topic

• Subtopic

• Subtopic

• Subtopic

How do I know if asubtopic is “good”?

Subtopics

Where do subtopicscome from?

General subtopics

Specific subtopics

can be brainstormed.

must be pre-searched.

Subtopics

subtopics

subtopicssubtopics

subtopics

subtopics

subtopics

General subtopics examples:

Person: Early life, Education, Accomplishments, Later life

Place: Origin, History, Leaders, Economy, Culture, etc.

Thing: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How

Subtopics

This simple storyexplains general

subtopics: A little boy walks into the elementary school library and asks the library media teacher for help because he’s writing a report about dinosaurs. Seeing the difficulty of too much information, the LMT asks, “Perhaps you want to know about its body--what it looked like?” “Yes, I do!,” said the little boy. “Maybe you want to know what it ate?,” she asks. “Yes, my teacher said I need to include that.” “Maybe you want to know where it lived?” As you can see, the library teacher was guiding him to choose subtopics in order to filter information.

Subtopics

Specific subtopics examples:

Paris:

Photovoltaic cell:

George Washington: Early life, Surveyor, Soldier, General, President

Gallo-Roman, Medieval, Renaissance, Enlightenment

Inventor, Uses, Improvements

“I need to search for specific ways to tackle this topic.”

Subtopics

Look for specific subtopics in:

Book’s table of contents

Encyclopedia’s bold subheads

Textbook’s units and chapter titles

Internet web site’s index or subsections

Just like topics, “pre-search” to research!

subtopics

subtopics

subtopics

subtopics

subtopics

subtopics

Subtopics

How many subtopicsshould I use?

How do I start?

How can I adjust?

Budget your time according to when your project is due.

You or your teacher can judge your ability to access, evaluate, and use information,

Fewer days of research = fewer subtopics

“So in a week, can I do ten subtopics?”

and your motivation to complete tasks!

Subtopics

Remember,subtopics are the guideposts

on the road toto information management.

subtopic

subtopic

subtopic

subtopic