1. What do you already know about your topic? Answering this may help you decide on keywords to use in your search for books, articles, and websites.
2. What do you want / need to know about your topic? A good overview of your topic will help you start to understand the multiple aspects and layers of a subject.
3. Does your topic relate to a specific time period? Do you need historical background? Is your topic currently in the news? Answering these questions can determine what resources you need to use in your research.
4. Is there a specific dimension of the topic that you want / need to cover? For example, legal issues, effects on society, psychological aspects, cultural background, statistical analysis, etc.
5. Does your instructor have specific requirements in terms of the information you need and the resulting length of your paper or oral presentation? Does your instructor require specific types of resources, such as books, scholarly articles, newspaper articles?
Topic overviews:
For an overview, look for a general or subject-specific encyclopedia, handbook, or dictionary.
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