How to navigate this guide
This guide uses tabs to provide examples of each skill that is presented. Feel free to explore the different tabs in each section before moving on to the next portion!
Choosing a topic
Choosing a topic can be a very intimidating task. We recommend choosing something that you enjoy thinking about. Your enjoyment of the topic will help sustain your curiosity and motivate you to ask interesting questions that will draw in your reader.
Here are three topic models that help demonstrate the various possibilities within each theme, and then a linked YouTube video that provides a different way of thinking about each topic. Feel free to investigate your topic using a variety of resources and remember that when you are choosing your topic, there are infinite ways that you could approach your chosen subject!
Example 1: Mario Kart 8
Possible Topics:
- symbolism and iconography for tactical and strategic choices while racing in a grand prix
- item algorithm and player placement to offer tactical advantages throughout the race
- nostalgic inclusion of the Nintendo universe 1)characters such as the Koopa Troopas, Brutals, Animal Crossing, Zelda, and the Inkling Twins; 2) boards that use themes from other Nintendo games
Example 2: Pirates
Possible Topics:
- What is the economic impact of modern day piracy on the oil industry in the United States?
- Is there a connection between the legend of Robin Hood and pirates? Can piracy be practiced as a form of civil disobedience?
- What do the depictions of organized crime in Star Wars and The Expanse hve in common with modern day piracy?
Asking questions and finding an approach
Choosing your topic is more than choosing a theme or subject to write about. Once you have a general idea about what you'd like to write about, you then have to negotiate what you want to say about that theme or subject. A good way to poke at the topic to choose your approach is to ask questions about it. This is a kind of brainstorming that allows you to determine where your interest lies, and identify what you are truly interested in. These are not the only strategies you can use! They are three ways that other people have found to be helpful. We recommend that you try them out, and don't be afraid to move through the process using your own strategy!
During the process of developing your topic, it is important to be specific about what you are writing. No two approaches are identical to each other.
The above visualization asks sense-making questions Who, What, When, and How to help writers focus on the specifics of their topic of research. With our example of writing about the Nintendo Switch video game Mario Kart 8, we might be interested in writing a paper with the thesis: THESIS: "MK8 players gain an advantage when they choose the vehicle options that match their character's original game." In this scenario, we could answer the sense making questions:
Who: MK8 players
When: During gameplay
What: Gain a playing advantage
How: Choosing vehicle options that match the original game of their selected character
If can answer questions like these with specifics, we are well on to our way to being able to identify and access sources and write a strong, compelling paper!
Sometimes, when we get an assignment, we feel uninspired about any topics.
A topic can be inspired by anything! . Perhaps you are reading an update on a product or a band or a hobby that you are involved in. Take this example, an article on the Nintendlife.com blog! If you play Mario Kart 8 and you spend a little of your downtime browsing articles like this, a topic might pop out at you.
This kind of topic exploration, finding something that you are truly interested in, usually makes for a more interesting experience writing and a more enjoyable experience for your professor to read!
One of the easiest ways to make some decisions about your topic is to try to explain it to a friend. Here are a few tips for "talking it out." We talk our friends through lots of issues in our lives, and writing is no different! If you are a person who processes things verbally or needs to say something out loud before you can write, then this is the strategy for you.
Here are a few tips to get started:
- Try to develop a 2 sentence explanation of your topic that includes enough specifics that a stranger can understand it. Think of it as an "elevator speech."
- Talk through one point that you are interested in writing about and try to demonstrate why it's important through the use of examples.
Let your friend ask questions. Here are some suggestions:
- What do you want people to know/do when you are done writing?
- What is the most important aspect of your topic?
- Tell me why you care about this? What made you decide to write about this?
- What are you most frustrated about? What are you stuck on?
- What do you need to do to finish?
Background Research
- Britannica Academic Online This link opens in a new window
Britannica Academic contains both the Encyclopedia Britannica and the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, as well as magazine and journal articles written by Pulitzer Prize winners and leading experts, a world atlas, country data, and timelines. This resource is freely available to all residents of the State of Alabama. Please contact the AVL helpdesk for any assistance.
- Opposing Viewpoints (Gale In Context) This link opens in a new window
Access to viewpoint articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents and websites on social issues.
- Global Issues (Gale in Context) This link opens in a new window
Gale In Context: Global Issues provides a comprehensive global perspective on key global issues, including Food Security, Genocide, Human Rights, and Extreme Weather, integrating news, primary source documents, and more.
- WikipediaOne great place to start learning about your topic and developing an inventory of keywords to use in your search is by reading an article on your topic in Wikipedia. Wikipedia is an online Encyclopedia used for fact-gathering. It is not typically considered a citable source because it's purpose is to give you an overview of a topic. But it is a great tool to use as you are becoming more informed about the specifics of your topic!
Developing keywords
| pirate | steal |
| ship | sea |
| ocean | seafarer |
| cargo | treasure |
| history | "modern day" |
| novels | movies |
| manga | "Sir Frances Drake" |
| swashbuckling | "drug cartel" |
| Caribbean | Somalia |
| "Gulf of Mexico" | "Indian Ocean" |
Thief
Sailor
Pirate
Rogue
Madame Cheng
Created by Sara Whitver using MURAL, 2022.
- MURALMURAL is a free digital whiteboard space that you can use for brainstorming and making a map of your topic. It requires you to create an account but does not limit you in it's functionality. It works well with Google Docs, Dropbox, and Slack!
- Bubbl.usA free mindmapping application that does not require a login. You will need to create a login if you want to come back to your mapping project, but if you are mapping your topic in one sitting you can download the map as a JPEG or PNG and save it without any barriers.
- Google DrawingIf you use the Chrome browser, you can add the Google Draw extension for brainstorming activities.
| Ocean | Pirate |
|
|
- Free ThesaurusUse a thesaurus when you are looking for alternative words so that you have a more agile search strategy!
We're here to help!
Prefer a different contact method?
Try one of these options instead: