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College-wide Composition 1 Research Guide

Research guide for ENC 1101 - Composition 1

Topic Development

Listed below are selected resources for help in choosing a research topic:

Informative Topics - informative research topic ideas

U/CL Pathfinders - research topics compiled by the Broward College/FAU Libraries

Library Databases for topic suggestions (must log in with Titan Username & Password)

Reference Materials give you a general overview of a subject.

For eReference books try Virtual Reference Library (Gale).

Books give a broad, thorough treatment of a subject.

To find books use Library Catalog Discovery Service or eBooks Collection (EBSCO).

Periodicals provide information that is focused, usually from a contemporary point of view.

For scholarly peer reviewed journal articles search Academic Search Complete.
For controversial issues try Opposing Viewpoints.
For local issues search Florida Today.
For consumer issues search Consumer Reports.

Web Pages can include all information types. Since web publication is fast, use it for very current information.

Use Advanced Search in Google to limit search results to .edu or .gov.
Use Google Scholar to search for scholarly content on the web.

Media Resources provide visual and auditory details which can not be captured in written text.

Use Public Domain Pictures to locate images.
Use NAXOS Music Library to find streaming music.
Use Films on Demand or Academic Video Online to view streaming videos.

Once you have selected a topic and before you start searching for resources, it is helpful to perform these steps:

Topic: What is the relationship between teenage eating habits and health problems?

Step 1: Break the topic into main concepts:
teenage
eating habits
health problems

Step 2: Brainstorm keywords for each concept:
Try thinking of synonyms and related terms. A thesaurus may be helpful.

teenage	eating habits	health problems
teenager(s) teen(s) adolescent(s) adolescence youth	eating eating habits food food habits diet(s) nutrition nutritional habits	health health problems disease(s) well being sickness disorders obesity

Step 3: Combine your terms in a search

For additional information on combining terms in a Boolean search, refer to the Search Strategies module in BILT.