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Here are some basic tips for selecting a topic to research.
Choose a topic that interests you. If it's something you like, you'll enjoy it.
Consider how much information you need. For example, your professor may require 5 scholarly articles. It's best to know what you need before you even start looking.
Choose a back-up topic just in case you can't find enough good information on your first choice.
Limit your topic if you feel overwhelmed by information. A few good ways to narrow topics are either by population, such as "schizophrenia in children," by treatments, such as "behavioral treatments for schizophrenia," or by outcomes, such as "effects of schizophrenia on memory."
Start: your research early to eliminate stress and anxiety.
Source: Some information adapted from Allegheny University's Writing in Psychology website.
Stumped about your topic? Here are a few websites that might give you some ideas to consider.
After choosing a topic and before doing your literature search, it will be a good idea to do some background research. This will ensure that you understand your topic well and can come up with the proper keywords for your search.
There are several places you can consult for background research.
AccessScience is a broad-based scientific encyclopedia, including articles, illustrations and videos.
What you need to know:This database is useful for finding background and reference information on scientific topics.
AccessScience has an excellent topical page on Psychiatry & Psychology that can provide background and definitions for theories, illnesses, disorders and treatments.
This link opens in a new windowEBSCOhost is the Learning Commons entire collection of EBSCOhost databases in one place.
What you need to know:This would be useful for those who want to use EBSCOhost databases but may be unsure of which one(s) to use.
EBSCOhost includes the databases:
Gale is the Learning Commons entire collection of Gale databases in one place.
What you need to know:This would be useful for those who want to use Gale databases but may be unsure of which one(s) to use. The cross-search function allows you to search across several of the Gale products at once.
Some of Gale's subcollections are:
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