Finding too much information? Your topic might be too big. To make it more manageable:
- First, consider what you know.
- Read about your topic in reliable internet sources, or read an encyclopedia article to find subtopics to explore. The link goes to a list of the library's encyclopedias and dictionaries that you can narrow to your topic area.
- Within an article database such as Academic Search Premier, explore the Subject: Thesaurus Terms list to get ideas on areas to explore.
- Consider the who, what, when and where of your topic.
- Who do you want to talk about (e.g. Women, college students, Asian-Americans)?
- What aspect of the topic interests you (e.g. legal, historical, a specific document or piece of literature)?
- When in history -- e.g., 18th century, 1981-1985?
- Where -- what geographical region are you curious about (e.g. Oregon, Northwest, United States, Middle East)?
Ask us for help narrowing your topic.