# The Sheridan Libraries

**Source**: https://guides.library.jhu.edu/writing/research-process/develop
**Parent**: https://guides.library.jhu.edu/writing/research-process

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# Writing Resources

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  - [Avoiding Plagiarism](https://guides.library.jhu.edu/writing/avoiding-plagiarism)
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## Before You Start

1. **What do you already know about your subject?**\
   Keep a list of key words, names, and events. \
   \
2. **How long has your subject existed?** \
   Is it a relatively new concept with a lot published about it, or new and undiscovered? \
   \
3. **What discipline does your topic fall into?**\
   A discipline is an area of study or branch of learning (e.g., History,
   Biology). Each has its own best starting points.\
   \
4. **How are you viewing the topic?**\
   Think about what you are planning to emphasize: politics, history, or another aspect?\
   \
5. **What's the Timing?**\
   How long do you have to do this project?
   How long does it need to be?

## Three Approaches for Developing a Topic

**Approach #1: List Key Words of Interest**\
Make lists of concepts and topics you find interesting, as well as lists of related words and synonyms. These can serve as your key search terms.

|  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Concept 1:** | **Concept 2:** | **Look For:** |
| school choice | discrimination | synonyms? |
| educational choice | educational access | related terms? |
| open enrollment | access to education | alternate phrases? |
| educational vouchers | social justice | key names, events? |

**Approach #2: Draw It Out**\
Sketch out the relationships between ideas.

**Approach #3: Define it in Sentences**\
Write an explanation of your topic, justifying it on multiple levels:

***I am studying...** \
conformity in Woolf’s Orlando\
\
**in order to find out...** \
how Orlando’s efforts to conform and fit in change over time\
\
**in order to help my reader understand...**\
the role maturity and self-awareness play in the character’s efforts to conform to societal norms.*

Adapted from [The Craft of Research](https://catalyst.library.jhu.edu/catalog/bib_2303486) (2003) by Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams. (We also own the latest edition, [8th edition, 2016](https://catalyst.library.jhu.edu/catalog/bib_6635770), in print.)

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