For topic ideas and ideas for narrowing try looking at:
Relevant current events
Class discussions or readings
Presentations at relevant conferences
Articles in discipline related journals or trade publications
(See relevant links to right)
Getting started with gathering background info...
For background information on your topic you can try searching the library's reference sources and hot topic databases...
Gale Virtual Reference Library
Grzimeck Animal Life Encyclopedia (once open click on find full text to get to it)
Getting started with brainstorming your topic...
Think of the possible who, what, where, when, and why for your broad topic and try to narrow into a potential research question that interests you...
Also think of synonyms and related terms...
...by CONCEPT MAPPING
Try concept mapping with one of these online tools...
Northwest Missouri State University Library Concept Map Tool
Or try concept mapping with such apps as...
Popplet Lite or Popplet for Apple
Try these sources for topic ideas.
You may find scholarly research mentioned in news articles published for a general audience, then track down the original scholarly source using our periodicals directory.
Try these sources for topic ideas, see examples of the latest research being undertaken at various centers of research at US universities. Find citations to sources that could potentially help you with your research.