Developing Your Topic through Preliminary ReadingThink of preliminary reading as front-loading your learning: giving yourself the background knowledge and vocabulary you need before tackling the more complex content you'll use as your actual sources. Preliminary reading -- sometimes called background reading -- helps you to familiarize yourself with existing information, current research, and various viewpoints concerning your chosen topic.
This type of inquiry helps you evaluate the viability of potential topics and gauge your continued interested in exploring those topics. Preliminary reading can also help you refine or narrow broad topics into a manageable focus. Where are other researchers and writers focusing their attention?
To be clear, preliminary reading isn't about finding your sources -- though you may find some along the way -- as much as it is about finding and expanding your ideas.
Why search here? Use this database for preliminary reading as you start your research. You'll learn about your topic by reading authoritative topic overviews on a wide variety of subjects.
What's included: Gale eBooks is comprised of subject, specialized encyclopedias with articles written by scholars and experts.
Why search here? Use this database to search our collection of thousands of eBooks the MJC Library owns through EBSCOhost. These books can be a great place to start your research.
What's included: Thousands of eBooks covering a wide variety of topics.
Why search here? Use this database when you want to find comprehensive, unbiased reporting and analysis to get background information on issues in the news.
What's included: Overview reports of topics related to health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the environment, technology, and the economy in America.
Why search here? This is a great database to use when you want to explore different viewpoints on controversial or hot-button issues.
What's included: It includes pro/con articles, court cases, primary sources, videos, media, editorials, and news on more than 800 hot topics in business, politics, government, education, and popular culture. Use the search or browse topics by subject or A to Z.
Think of research questions as your shopping list for information. Just as a list keeps you focused in a crowded store, your questions keep you on track in the vast “supermarket” of sources. They help you:
Locate the most relevant information quickly and efficiently.
Stay focused so you don’t get lost or sidetracked while exploring.
Stay organized as you gather evidence and start shaping your paper.
And just like a grocery list, your research questions aren’t fixed. They may grow, change, or shift as you learn more and further refine your topic.
As you shape your research, different types of questions will help you focus on different parts of your paper: introduction, body, and conclusion. The following are sample questions to help you get started. Think of them as a menu of possibilities—some will fit your project, others won’t. Use them as a starting point to spark ideas, and adapt them to fit the scope and goals of your research.
Use these to get background information and define your topic.
What is ___?
Why is ___ an important issue?
What background information is necessary to understand ___?
What are the different types of ___?
These guide you into deeper analysis and evidence.
What causes ___?
What are the effects of ___?
What are the arguments for ___?
What are the arguments against ___?
What is being done about ___?
These help you pull your thinking together and point toward implications or solutions.
What conclusions can you make about your topic, and why?
What can you argue about your topic, and why are those arguments valid?
What should be done to address your topic, and why?