As you are searching for information and learning more about your topic, you will be refining the focus of your topic. You can brainstorm topic ideas using the five Ws:
For a quick example, see how to five Ws were used to brainstorm topic ideas related to police brutality below.
Step 1: Brainstorm Ideas. Choose a couple Ws to focus on, and make quick lists of things you might research. In thinking about police brutality, we chose Who, What, Where, and When
| What | When | Where | Who |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excessive Force | Civil rights movement | Baltimore | African Americans |
| Misconduct | 1960 | Chicago | Immigrants |
| Unlawful arrest | 20th century | LA | Convicts |
| Gun violence | 2013-2018 (a range of years) | Great Britain | Children |
| Body cameras | North America | Women | |
| Education | Prisoners | ||
| Ensuing Riots |
Step 2: Put them together
Add your brainstormed ideas together, integrate the WHY these topics interest you, and you have a researchable topic!
Ensuing Riots + 20th century + LA + African Americans + Significance =
How did the 1992 Los Angeles Riots affect relations between police and the African American community?
REMEMBER: It is important to keep your research topic open-ended. As you perform your research, you will inevitably refine or narrow your topic.
Mind mapping is a great tool for both narrowing your research topic and generating search terms for locating information resources.