Selecting+a+Research+Topic

When selecting your research topic, choose something that you are really **interested in** or ** passionate about **. Working out a good topic is tricky. A topic that is too broad will blow out - remember you have less than a semester to complete your research. A topic that is too narrow will be difficult to explore.

Follow these steps to help you decide what to research.

1. Write a paragraph in your Research Journal that explains what you are really interested in. What do you love doing on the weekends? What are your hobbies? What are you passionate about? If you have absolutely no idea where to start, look through newspapers to see if there are any current issues you feel strongly about. You could also look through the Yellow Pages to find out if there are any areas of employment, or community organisations that you'd like to investigate.

Use these ideas as a starting point for further exploration.

2. Enter the main key word that relates to one of your interests that you have listed above into a Google search window. When you get to the 'Results' page, select the [|**'Wonder Wheel'**] on the left side of the screen. This will give you some different research ideas. Select 'More search tools' and experiment with 'Related Searches'.

Briefly describe how the Google Wonder Wheel works. Make a list of the most interesting search terms and ideas that resulted from your initial search using the Wonder Wheel. Explore some of the web sites that your search has found. Do these sites trigger off any new ideas? List these new ideas in your Research Journal. Repeat this activity with other ideas you have for a Research Project topic.

3. Go to [|this site]http://www.mywebspiration.com/. (Webspiration) Sign up and get yourself a log in and password - it's free! Create a mind map with one of your areas of interest in the middle. Around this key idea, enter as many related ideas and questions as you can. If you have lots of interests for research, create a mind map for each of them. Which research topic provides you with the most interesting ideas? If you can only create a small mind map on a topic, it may be that this topic will be too narrow.

If you don't want to use Webspiration, get an A3 piece of paper from your teacher and use it to complete your mind map.

Select the mind map that you believe offers the best potential for a successful Research Project and email it to your teacher and two other people to get their ideas. Look at the video again if you have forgotten how to do this. Once you have incorporated all suggestions, go to step 4.

4. Go to [|this site.] Use Edward de Bono's Six Hat Thinking to further understand and interpret your possible Research Project topic.

Play **Happy Hats** then apply 6 hat thinking to your possible research topic. Record the thoughts/ideas that the 6 hats have generated for your topic in your Research Project Journal. What are the potential problems that might occur with your Research Project topic? Is your topic still feasible? If not, what is your next step?