Chapter two of The Bedford Researcher discusses exploring
your research topic, and focusing on a specific issue relating to your topic.
The Bedford Researcher compares the act of exploring a topic to attending a
public meeting on a controversial issue. You will stumble upon many different
opinions, thoughts, and view-points. Your job is to determine which group you belong
to, based on your own opinions and thoughts of your topic. According to the
text, exploring your topic can be done in steps. The first step is to create a
plan to explore your topic. This includes making lists of people with whom you
can discuss your topic, creating a list of questions to ask people who can help
you with your research, listing sources to search for further information, and
creating a system for keeping track of the information you collect. The second
step of exploring your topic is simply to discuss your topic with others.
Gaining others opinions and points of view can help shape your own opinions of
your topic. Additionally, talking with people who have directly been affected
by the issue you are writing about can help you gain insight that you
could not find using other resources. The third step in the process of
exploring is to conduct preliminary observations. Observations can be a
powerful tool because, like discussion, you can gather information you couldn't get anywhere else. The fourth and final step is to find and review sources. The
Bedford Researcher suggests many great, reliable sources that can easily be
accessed by anyone such as online library catalogs, books, and articles in scholarly
journals. After you explore your topic, you need to focus on a specific issue
to which you can center you research around. Section B of chapter two provides
tips on how to focus on an issue. First, you must identify conversations about
issues in your topic. This includes finding themes, concepts, and disagreements
strongly linked to your topic. After you have an understanding of the central
issues and discussions related to your topic, narrow down the options by asking
yourself what interests you about each one. Finally, decide on the issue that
interest you the most, keeping in mind the level of interest your reader will
have on the issue.
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