You are taking an introductory-level course on Chinese Civilization. Your instructor has asked you to choose a general research topic for your term paper. The only instructions she has given you so far are that your research topic must be related to the course topic in some way. To start looking for a topic you
0. [[do a google search with the key words "Chinese" and "Civilization".->7,000,000 results]]
0. [[ask your professor for suggestions.->Annoyed Professor]]
0. [[look through your course materials.]]
0. [[go take a nap, thinking a good topic will come to you in your sleep.->Assignment Incomplete]]You go to the professor's office hours to ask for topic suggestions. He asks you if you have any areas of interest. You haven't really given it any thought so you just shrug your shoulders. With two other students waiting in the hall to see him, he scowls and tells you to come back when you've done a bit of your own exploration. You go
0. [[home and take a nap, hoping a topic will come to you in your sleep.->Assignment Incomplete]]
0. [[to the library and ask the librarian for suggestions.->Better, but not quite there]]
0. [[to the library to look for an encyclopedia.]]
The library catalog says you can find the encyclopedia, //Encyclopedia of China: History and Culture// in the stacks on the second floor. You copy down the call number and go in search of the book. Once you find it, you read several entries. After exploring the book a little while, you identify a number of possible subtopics that you find interesting, including "Chinese architecture," "Chinese painting," "traditional Chinese medicine" and "Chinese martial arts." You decide to focus on Chinese traditional architecture. You mention your general topic idea to your professor when you run into him eating lunch at the Student Union. He gives his ok.
CONGRATULATIONS! You've identified a general topic for your research. You are ready to proceed on to NARROWING YOUR TOPIC.When you search Google with the terms "Chinese" and "Civilization" you get over 7,000,000 results! Rather than helping you move you on to the next step, your choice has left you overwhelmed and no closer to finding a topic.
Start Over.
[[Choosing a General Topic]] You overslept. The deadline for submitting your general research topic to your instructor is in 5 minutes. With no ideas, you can't finish the assignment. The professor asks you to start over.
[[Choosing a General Topic]]
The librarian is a little more helpful than your professor (helping students with their research is her job after all!). She suggests that you search the library catalog for encyclopedias on China. She also asks you if you have any ideas or areas of interest. When you say that you haven't given it any thought, she recommends coming back to talk to her after you've done some of your own searching. You decide to
0. [[go on the internet.]]
0. [[go home and look through your course materials.->look through your course materials.]]
0. [[check out the library web site.->go to the university library web page.]]At the library you find a computer. You go to
0. [[the library main web site and search the catalog for "China" AND "encyclopedia".->Subtopics]]
0. [[Google and search for "Chinese" AND "Civilization"->7,000,000 results]]
At home you grab a quick snack and then you jump online. You
0. [[do a quick Google search on "Chinese Civilization".->7,000,000 results]]
0. [[go to the university library web page.]]When looking for topic ideas in your course materials you skim the
0. [[list of topics on the course syllabus to see if any of them seem interesting.]]
0. [[table of contents of your course textbook for ideas.]]You look through the syllabus. In the semester timeline the professor has listed the topics covered in each week of class. There is also a syllabus section on "suggested readings and topics." You find a couple of topics that pique your interest. You narrow it down to "traditional Chinese medicine" and "Chinese painting". But you can't decide between them, so you
0. [[toss a coin.]]
0. [[go to the library to look for an encyclopedia.]]
0. [[ask your professor for advice.]]Tossing a coin narrows the choice, but it's a pretty passive way of deciding. You commit to making an active choice to make sure you have found a topic that you are really interested in learning more about. You decide to do some more investigation of your topic choices and you
0. [[go to the library for another textbook or encyclopedia to get more information.->to the library to look for an encyclopedia.]]
0. [[ask your professor for advice.]] Since you've come to your professor with some ideas, he's much happier to help you. After talking with your professor you decide that Chinese medicine will be a good topic for you.
CONGRATULATIONS! You've identified a general topic and can proceed to the next step of NARROWING YOUR TOPIC.Under the "References" menu item on the library web site, you find an entry for an encyclopedia called //The Cambridge Encyclopedia of China//. You write down the call number and then
0. [[go search for the book.]]
0. [[call it a day. You've got a book title, so that should be enough, right?->call it a day]]Under the "Research Guides" menu item on the library web site, you find a section on East Asian Studies. You locate an entry for an encyclopedia called //The Cambridge Encyclopedia of China//. You write down the call number and then
0. [[go search for the book.]]
0. [[call it a day. You've got a book title, so that should be enough, right?->call it a day]]
The library catalog has a search box. To look for finding guides and tools that will help you locate general information on Chinese civilization you type the words
0. [["Chinese" and "civilization".]]
0. [["Chinese" and "encyclopedia"->Subtopics]]The library catalog produces 170,000 results! It also gives titles of specialized books and articles which are too confusing since you don't even have a general topic yet! However, you notice that among the results are several general textbooks and encyclopedias. You
0. [[continue searching book topics listed in the catalog for sources of information.]]
0. [[select an encyclopedia.->Subtopics]]You spend three hours searching through search results in the library catalog. You are tired so you decide to
0. [[choose one of the encyclopedias listed at the beginning of the list.->Subtopics]]
0. [[go home and take a nap, thinking that a good topic will come to you in your sleep.->Assignment Incomplete]]You find the reference section and browse the materials on China. You come across an encyclopedia called //Encyclopedia of China: History and Culture// that looks promising. You decide to
0. [[browse the table of contents for ideas.]]
0. [[open the encyclopedia and start reading at random.]]In browsing the table of contents, you find a couple of topics from the encyclopedia that pique your interest, such as "Chinese art" and "history of medicine in China". You read the entries for each in the encyclopedia to get more information. But you can't decide between them, so you
0. [[ask your professor for advice.]]
0. [[toss a coin.]]Since you are reading at random, you never get an overall sense of what topics are possible. You decide to
0. [[go home and take a nap, hoping that a topic will come to you in your sleep.->Assignment Incomplete]]
0. [[check out the encyclopedia's table of contents.->browse the table of contents for ideas.]]
The call number is Ref DS705 .C35 1991. This means that you will probably find the book in the
0. [[first floor reference section.]]
0. [[first floor reading room.]]
0. [[second floor stacks.]]Nope. Just because you have a book title, doesn't mean you have a topic. You'll need to keep reading and searching to find a topic that really works for you and that your professor will accept.
[[Choosing a General Topic]]You found the encyclopedia you were looking for, and while you were browsing the shelves you also came across the //Cultural Atlas of China//. You pull both books off the shelves and go sit down. After exploring the books a little while, you identify a number of possible subtopics that you find interesting, including "Chinese martial arts," and "traditional Chinese foodways." You decide to focus on Chinese martial arts. You mention your general topic idea to your professor when you run into him eating lunch at the Student Union. He gives his ok.
CONGRATULATIONS! You've identified a general topic for your research. You are ready to proceed on to NARROWING YOUR TOPIC.Nope, not here. There are likely interesting magazines in the reading room, but you won't find your encyclopedia.
[[Try again.->go search for the book.]]There may be a second copy of the encyclopedia here, but most likely not.
[[Try again->go search for the book.]]In skimming the table of contents in your textbook, a number of topics sound interesting, especially "Chinese medicine" and "Chinese astronomy". You quickly check the index at the back of the book to see where else the textbook might discuss these topics. After reading in a few places, you think one of the topics might work, but you are still not sure. So you
0. [[go to the library to look for an encyclopedia.]]
0. [[ask your professor for advice.]]
0. [[toss a coin and hope for the best.->toss a coin.]]On the main university library website, you look through the main menu bar. There are several options. You click on the item labeled
0. [[References.]]
0. [[Library Catalog.]]
0. [[Research Guides.]]You stop by the librarian's desk on your way into the library. You ask her where you can find reference materials, such as encyclopedias, about China. She points you to the reference room which is off to the left near the computer center. You find a couple of encyclopedias on China and search for your topic choices. After reading for a while you decide that "Chinese medicine" will be a good choice for you. You are a pharmacy major and being able to research about medicinal herbs and plants is right up your alley!
CONGRATULATIONS! You've successfully found a general topic. You are now ready to move on to NARROWING YOUR TOPIC.