research project topic development worksheet assignment

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Research Toolkit

Topic development.

• Search Strategies
• Find Sources
• Types of Sources
• Source Evaluation
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• Get Support
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Get Research Help

On this page:

• Tips for choosing a topic and developing a research question 
• Examples and exercises to help you break a broad topic down into smaller subtopics

Ask yourself:

• What are the requirements of my research assignment?
• Within the scope of this assignment, what do I want to find out?
• Is my topic broad enough to explore and narrow enough to be manageable? 

See also: Writing Center resources on decoding a prompt  and brainstorming techniques , or make an appointment with a Writing Center consultant!

Choose a topic

Choose a topic: This is the first step in the research you will do for your paper or project.

Understand the assignment: Look closely at the instructions you have been given and consider the following questions.

• Is it an assigned topic or can it be one of your own choosing?
• What is the purpose of the research assignment? (Support an argument? Provide background on an issue? Summarize existing findings?)
• Are you required to use certain types of materials such as scholarly articles?
• Are you limited to a certain time period or geographic region?

Select a topic that interests you : If you have some flexibility in choosing your topic, choose one that you find interesting and that you want to know more about. Being interested in the topic will help keep you going. If you need ideas, try:

• reading articles in magazines and newspapers
• searching for ideas on the Internet 
• browsing reports on "hot topics" through CQ Researcher or Issues & Controversies

Consider your focus An example would be: Broad topic : Pets Narrow topic : Pet therapy Narrower topic : Pet therapy and the chronically ill 

If you're having trouble coming up with a focus for your topic, consider creating a Concept Map. 

Here is a video that was created by UCLA Library on concept mapping:

Write a research question

A research question is a clear, focused question that helps guide your search.

The four "must haves" of a good research question:

• Relevance (the question must be related to your topic)
• Feasible/realistic (Can you answer this question in the time that you have?)
• Clearly written (Do other people know what you're asking?)
• Open-ended (The question cannot be answered with a 'yes' or 'no'.)

Example of a research question that is too general:   I s pet therapy beneficial?

Example of a solid, clearly written, open-ended research question: How can companion animals improve health?

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Get It Done Guide to Undergraduate Research

• Welcome to UMD Libraries!

Topic Development

Research keywords.

• Creating a Research Question
• Search Strategies
• Search @ UMD Libraries
• Source Types
• Citation Styles
• Using Library Resources
• Campus Resources

Getting Started

Before you dive into databases and researching a topic, make sure you take a look at the assignment guidelines. Do you need to use a certain number of sources? A certain type of source, like a book or article?

If you have any questions regarding the assignment, now is the time to reach out to your professor and get clarity on the requirements of the assignment.

Plan out your research

Professors may assign you a research topic or you may get to choose your own. Choosing a research topic shouldn't stress you out!

When choosing a research topic, consider what your thesis statement or research question can focus on. It can be helpful to do a quick dive into databases with your topic and make sure there are sources that fit your assignment guidelines before you start writing. 

If you need more guidance in developing a research topic, check out our steps to topic development .

You can also use our concept planning worksheet to explore potential research topics.

• Concept Mapping Worksheet Print this worksheet to get started on your own concept map.

Before you can dive into researching and developing your topic, it's important to make sure you're using the right keywords to research your topic. Using the “right” keywords can make your research process go smoother, while using the “wrong” keywords can create a frustrating research experience. 

Learn more about how to develop keywords for your research topic and how a librarian can help .

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Research Tutorial

• Library Research Tutorial
• What Is a Thesis Statement?
• Topic Development
• Improve Your Research Question
• Good and Bad Research Questions
• Video Review
• Sources for Background Reading
• What about Wikipedia?
• Related Terms
• Subject Terms
• Boolean Searching
• Advanced Searching Techniques
• Definition of "Scholarly"
• Subject Guides
• Individual Databases
• Open Access Resources
• Google Scholar
• Library Catalog
• Evaluation of Sources
• Academic Writing
• Writing Resources
• Citing Sources
• Citation Formats
• Citation Resources
• Academic Integrity
• Research on the Job

Tips for Topic Development

When your instructor permits you to create your own topic for a research and writing assignment, keep these tips in mind:

• Review your class readings and class discussions to help you choose a topic. A good topic will often build on ideas that you have already learned about in class.
• Do some reading on a topic or topics that interest you.
• Consult your class instructor, a librarian, or a writing coach . Discussing your ideas for a topic with an experienced researcher can help you choose a topic that will be interesting and practical to research.

For more information, see UMGC's Online Guide to Writing and Research: Doing Exploratory Research .

Turning a Topic into a Research Question or Thesis Statement

The following figure gives some ideas for how to progress from a general topic to a research question to a thesis statement.

Transcript of this image

Narrowing your topic.

Narrowing your topic is often the most difficult aspect of formulating a research question. The figure below gives further tips on how to focus your topic.

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PSYC312: Social Psychology

11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 02/01/2024 Request Info

Course Description

Social psychology is the study of how the presence of other people (real or imagined) affects individuals. This course will provide an overview of theory and research related to: development of the self, cognitive dissonance, attitudes and attitude change, group processes, attraction and relationships, prosocial behavior, aggression, as well as stereotyping and discrimination.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the  Academic Course Catalog .

Many individuals go through their daily routines with little thought as to what influences their own thoughts and behaviors, as well as the behavior of those around them. They seem unaware of how other people influence their thoughts and behavior. Still, others attempt to understand and explain their behavior, but their explanations are inaccurate. This course will seek to explain how students’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual or imagined presence of others so that the students can better understand themselves and those around them.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and  Student Expectations , the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (3)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will complete 3 discussions throughout the term. The student is required to provide a thread in response to the provided prompt for each forum. Each thread must be 300–500 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. For each thread, the student must use and cite the textbook, and Scripture in current APA format. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must include 150-250 words and cite at least one item of information from the textbook (CLOs A, B, D).

Research Project: Topic Development Worksheet Assignment

Using the Research Project: Topic Development Worksheet Template provided, each student will select a topic from the textbook, develop a research concept based on current research, and obtain current articles from peer-reviewed journals (original research only) to be used later for the Research Project: Literature Review Assignment. The reference list must include 5 peer-reviewed journal articles (original research only). Current APA style must be used. Journal articles must have a publication date within the past five years. Students must also submit a PDF copy of the full article for each of the five resources. (CLOs C, D).

Research Project: Literature Review Assignment

The student will use three of the articles identified in the Research Project: Topic Development Assignment as the foundation for the Research Project: Literature Review Assignment. A brief description will be written about each article (250-350 words each) approved by the instructor in the Research Project: Topic Development Assignment. The description should include the following: Purpose, brief description of methods (participants and procedure), results, and a description of how these findings relate to the research topic. (CLOs C, D).

Aggression and Prejudice Activity Assignment

The student will complete one Aggression and Prejudice Activity Assignment which includes scenarios and short answer questions (3-5 sentences for each answer) that ask him or her to apply social psychology concepts to real-world situations. (CLO B).

Research Project: Biblical Integration Project Assignment

The student will explore what the Bible says about his/her chosen topic. In doing so each student will begin to understand how psychological science aligns with Biblical truth. This paper will include a minimum of 1,000 words and will follow current APA formatting guidelines.

Quizzes (8)

Each quiz will cover the Learn material for the Module: Week in which it is assigned. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 25 multiple-choice questions, and have a 60-minute time limit (CLOs A, B).

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