Refining Topic – Library 101 Toolkit

Choosing a Topic Flowchart

Title	Choosing a Topic Flowchart
Description	This activity helps students pick or refine a topic that is of personal interest and meets the criteria for their assignment. It is based on the idea that students are more engaged with topics that are of personal interest. It can be used as a standalone worksheet for students to use or can be used as a pre-class activity for them to complete before coming to a library session or other class session.
Steps	Before giving the students the worksheet, model how to use it with your own example Share the flowchart worksheet Give students 5-10 minutes to fill out the worksheet if used as an in-class activity; have them complete the worksheet before class if preferred.
Tags	refining-topic; in-class; pre-assignment
Time	10-15 minutes
Attachments	Choosing a Topic Flowchart

Developing an Interdisciplinary Search Strategy

Title	Developing an Interdisciplinary Search Strategy
Description	This is an activity that helps students develop an interdisciplinary search strategy in stages. Students define their topic, brainstorm questions related to their topic area, and connect these questions to the disciplines and experts where they might find more research and information. Students learn how to identify search tools & information sources based on their questions using the library’s website.
Steps	Demonstrate the entire process on the whiteboard (see an example of a Interdisciplinary Strategy below). Choose a topic relevant to the course content and write it in the center of the board Ask students to think about what kinds of questions they would ask about this topic. Then invite them to brainstorm Write the questions down around the central topic in a different color When sufficient questions have been created, show the students how one can link the question to a specific discipline Provide students with a sheet of paper. Invite them to write their topic in the center which will encourage them to think more creatively than to make lists on the page. Tell them to brainstorm question about their topic After 5 minutes, ask students to think about what kinds of experts would do research on the questions they generated Explain how different kinds of disciplinary experts publishing their research in different publications and explain how you can use disciplinary-focused research databases to find sources in those disciplines. Show students how to browse databases by subject and/or format Demonstrate a search
Tags	beyond-google; refining-topic; in-class
Time	20 minutes
Attachments	Interdisciplinary Strategy (Example); Interdisciplinary Strategy (Blank Template)

Making Connections: Primary Texts to Themes

Title	Making Connections: Primary Texts to Themes
Description	This is a brainstorming activity to allow students to make scholarly connections between a primary text and related themes, historical or social connections, and relevant disciplines. This activity works well for research assignments that take a literary, or primary text, analysis approach.
Steps	Prior to the library session, ask students to select a theme and a text that they’re interested in In the library session, show students an example of a completed connections map on a topic/text that relates to a topic or text that they’ve studied in class. Talk through the sections on the map Pass out worksheet and ask students to take 10 minutes brainstorming connections between their selected primary text and sub-themes, historical, social, theoretical, and disciplinary connections As a class, work through one example from a student’s topic. Ask other students to give feedback Ask students to keep the worksheet, so they can add to it during the class. Remind students that research is a complex, iterative, and messy process, so their topics may evolve as they begin reading sources
Tags	pre-assignment; in-class; refining-topic
Variations	This activity could be adapted for works of art, images, ads, artifact, music, etc.
Time	20 minutes
Attachments	Connections Worksheet; Connections (Example)

Mapping a Topic

Title	Mapping a Topic
Description	This is a brainstorming activity to allow students to think about aspects of their topic that they may need to explore in their research. The map prompts students to think about the who, what, where, when components of their topic, as well as asking them to think broadly and narrowly on aspects of their topic that they might want to research.
Steps	Show students an example of a completed topic map (see example below) on something related to class Pass out worksheet and ask students to take 10 minutes brainstorming connections between their core topic area and the related sub-topics & and specific details they may need to explore in their research As a class, work through one example from a student’s topic. Ask other students to give feedback Ask students to keep the worksheet, so they can add to it during the class
Tags	Refining-topic; In-class
Time	20 minutes
Attachments	Mapping a Topic Worksheet; Mapping a Topic (example)

Refining a Topic: Recommended Activities from Other Sites

Title	Recommended Refining Topic Activities from Other Sites
Wordle as a Tool for Research & Invention (DWRL)	“A short assignment using the free text visualization software, Wordle, to help students find keywords for researching their chosen topics.”
Developing a Research Topic (CORA)	“This activity is designed to help students develop a thoughtful research topic by going through a series of steps, questions, and background reading to help them better understand and refine their research topic.”
Strategic Searching Spreadsheet (CORA)	“This activity introduces students to the idea that sources contribute different perspectives to an argument and that scholarship is a conversation.”