Guidelines in

Selecting A
Research Topic
Curie 8 Group 5
1. Brainstorm for
ideas
• Choose a topic that interests
you. The research process is
more relevant if you care
about your topic.
• Use the following questions to
help generate topic ideas:
 Are you interested in current
events or the sciences?
 Are you interested in health or
medicine?
1. Brainstorm for
ideas
Are you interested in
Humanities; art, literature or
music?
Are you interested in solving
a problem that affects society
or personal daily living?
Are you simply curious about
a specific topic?
 2. Read General
Background Information
• Ideas can come from issues
and subjects covered in
course readings and lectures
• Background Information can
help you prepare for further
research by explaining all the
issues related to your topic,
especially when you're
investigating a field that's
unfamiliar to you.
2. Read General
Background Information
• Reading broad summaries
enable one to get an overview
of the topic and see how the
idea relates to broader,
narrower and related issues.
• Refer to books such as
encyclopedias, journals,
newspaper articles and also
the internet.
3. Narrow the topic into
something manageable
• If your topic is too broad, you
will find too much information
and not be able to focus.
• Narrow the topic’s scope by:
 Limiting the topic to a
particular approach to the
issue
 Considering only one piece of
the subject
3. Narrow the topic into
something manageable

 Limiting the time it takes to

accomplish

• Background reading can help

you choose and limit the scope
of your topic.
4. Make a list of useful
keywords
• Look for words that best
describe your topic
• Find broader and narrower
terms, synonyms, key
concepts for keywords to
widen your search capabilities
• Take note of these words and
use them later when
searching databases and
catalogs
4. Be flexible
• Listen to ideas of other co-
researchers because it is likely
that the title of the research will
change over time
• You may find too much and
need to narrow your focus, or
too little and need to broaden
your focus.
5. Thinking of the 5 W’s
• WHY did you choose the
topic? What interests you
about it?
• WHO are the information
providers on this topic? Who
is affected by the topic?
5. Thinking of the 5 W’s
• WHAT are the major
questions for this topic? What
are the range of issues and
viewpoints to consider?
• WHERE is your topic
important
• WHEN is your topic
important?
References:
https://libguides.mit.edu/select-topic
https://www.umflint.edu/library/how-select-research-topic
https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/quickguides
https://www.slideshare.net/walshandj/choosing-a-research-
topic

Members:
2, Aaron Baclor
11, Trebor Lacsa
20, Aleana Abon
25, Rafaela Dayego
30, Katrine Guillermo
36, Patricia Padegdeg
38, Thea Rosete
39, Beatrice Santos