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CAJCS Extended Essay Guide: CHOOSE A TOPIC

Important and relevant information to assist you in writing your Extended Essay.

FINDING A TOPIC

Finding a topic

Before you can write a strong research question, you will want to think about what interests you and what interests others. The world is full of ‘topics’. Simply open a newspaper, watch a documentary or listen to the radio. These are places where your interests and other people’s interests converge. Topics are the stuff of the real world. There are several criteria for assessing the quality of a good topic. As you think about what you want to explore, ask yourself if the topic of your essay: 

  • interests both you and many peopleis relevant and important to many people
  • is well-publicised and known to many people
  • provides a new slant on an old problem
  • has unexplored or controversial aspects.

 

NARROWING DOWN YOUR TOPIC (FROM THE SUBJECT GUIDE)

 

CHOOSE A TOPIC - OVERVIEW

Considering the following may help you to choose a topic:

•What are your personal interests?

•Read the local newspaper and identify any issues that interest you.

•What speakers have you heard that were interesting?

•What novels are you reading?

•What is in your CAS portfolio?

•What significant events have occurred?

•What scientific experiments have you heard of that interest you? 

•Are there any historical events that have caught your imagination?

•Are there any innovations, phenomena or theorems you have heard of lately?

TOPIC CHECKLIST

After you decide on a topic of interest you should undertake some preliminary general reading around the issue.  

Questions you must consider at this stage are:

  • What has already been written about the topic?
  • Was it easy to find sources of information?
  • Is there a range of different sources available?
  • Is there a range of views or perspectives on the topic?
  • What interesting questions have started to emerge from this reading?

Carrot2

Carrot2 is an Open Source Search Results Clustering Engine. It can automatically organize small collections of search results, into thematic categories.  You can see these results either as a tree or you can click 'visualize' to see a diagram like the one shown here.  If, as in the example above, you were thinking of doing a project on Humanitarian NGOs, you could search for the keyword terms Humanitarian and NGOs, and it will bring up a number of related topics, such as disaster relief, faith-based and secular organizations,  and IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation.  You can choose one of these topics to see those relevant results.  This may help you to find research topics for a subject you are interested in.

WORD CLOUDS

Spend time thinking about what you know about your topic. Write it down and

then copy what you have written into http://www.wordle.net/ This will give you

a cloud similar to the one to the right which will emphasize \the keywords of

your current knowledge. 

This will give you an idea of the key areas you already have some knowledge

of and may highlight a potential topic you would like to focus your research on.

 http://www.wordle.net/

 

TOPIC IDEAS

MIND MAPPING TOOLS

Brainstorming map. Circle in center says idea. Several arrows and sub-bubbles sprouting from this center one.

How to narrow a search- Topic finder in JSTOR

NARROWING YOUR TOPIC

PICKING YOUR TOPIC

DEVELOPING YOUR TOPIC

Topic Finder in Gale- Tutorial

10 Tips to Help Brainstorm Topic Ideas

Creating Mindmaps

A mind map is a diagram that displays information visually.  You don't have to be an artist to mind map but thinking of the interconnected ideas will hep you focus your topic.