Going from a broad topic idea to a focused research question requires some preliminary research and analysis to help you gain enough understanding of your topic for you to do effective in-depth research on it. On this page, you'll find links to resources to help you learn some initial information about your topic, brainstorming techniques, and tips for formulating search terms.
Once you have a topic, you'll need to do some research to figure out what aspects of it you want to focus on and how you want to proceed with your research and your paper or project. Try out one or more of the techniques below to help you develop your ideas:
Reference resources like the ones listed below are a great place to gather initial information on your topic, learn vocabulary to help you search more effectively, and help you narrow down your topic.
Encyclopaedia Britannica Online includes the complete encyclopedia, as well as Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and Thesaurus, Britannica Student Encyclopedia and the Britannica Book of the Year. Included are articles, updated and revised by Encyclopaedia Britannica editors and contributors; illustrations, including photographs, drawings, maps, and flags; and various other entries including definitions, pronunciation guides, and word histories.
This resource is freely available to all residents of the State of Alabama. Non-UA affiliated Alabama residents should use the Alabama Resident Access link. Please contact the AVL helpdesk for any assistance.
Access to viewpoint articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents and websites on social issues.
Gale Virtual Reference Library is a database of encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research.
Once you've developed your idea through brainstorming and preliminary research in one or more reference resources, look back at the work you've done and pick out a few key terms that you think might be useful to help you find more resources when you search Scout or another database.
A few tips for finding resources: