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SCP 540 - Intro to Research and Program Evaluation : Starting Your Research

Welcome!

This page will assist you with researching a topic of interest for your assignments in SCP 540. Browse through the different types of resources on this page and also consider starting a document of search keywords with multiple synonyms, in order to successfully search across different information environments. 

Here are some other research guides that might be helpful for your research endeavors: 

Questions to Help Narrow Your Topic

  • Are you interested in any specific population or group of people?  
  • Can your topic be narrowed by age, ethnicity, gender, religion, socio-economic status, etc.?
  • Are there any key individuals that you can focus on?
  • What are the major issues or subtopics you can focus on?
  • Did you notice any gaps or unanswered questions in your background research?
  • Is your topic focused to the United States?   Or is it a global topic?
  • Should your topic be narrowed to a defined geographical region?
  • Is this a current topic? 
  • Is this a historical topic?  During which years will you be focused?
  • Are you interested in examining how your topic has changed or evolved over time?
  • Why are you interested in this topic?
  • Why should others want to learn about this topic?
  • How did a specific person, event, or development impact your topic?
  • How has your topic affected other areas of our society or culture?

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