Place quotations marks around "key word phrases"
Use Boolean operators AND, OR, NOT
Keyword Help --University of Washington
Narrowing the topic and research question
Here are some strategies for narrowing the scope of a question. They may be used individually or in combinations.
Chart adapted from University of Washington Research 101 website.
|
Narrowing by... |
Explanation |
Death Penalty Topic |
|
Time
|
Since 1960s? This year? In the near future?
|
Current state initiatives. |
|
Place
|
U.S.---Local or regional social norms & values, economic & political systems, or languages. |
Death penalty initiatives at the federal level |
|
Demographics
|
Class, gender, age, occupation, ethnicity, race, educational attainment, species, etc. |
Death penalty for those under 18 |
|
Viewpoint
|
Social, legal, medical, ethical, biological, psychological, economic, political, philosophical? A viewpoint allows you to focus on a single aspect of What is injustice? |
Ethical or philosophical considerations |
“Think for yourself and question authority.” -- Timothy Leary
VERIFY your sources -- Ask yourself about Currency,
Reliability,
Authority,
Purpose/Point of view
