Biology 

Choose a topic that

• addresses your  assignment.
• is manageable and can be effectively presented within the limits of the assignment.
• is something that you are interested in.
• has not been excessively written about by other students.
• raises questions.

Getting started

• write down all the ideas you can think of (environment and cancer, or description of a plant family)
• read general background information (Encyclopedia articles - this is what Wikipedia is good for – background, but not research! The Library also has subject encyclopedias.)
• focus in on a manageable topic (narrow a broad topic by geographic region, time frame, biological process, etc.)
• make a list of useful keywords 
• be flexible (You may have to expand or modify your topic during the research process—this is normal.)
• define your topic as a focused research question (What is the question you’re trying to answer? E.g., “How does the environment relate to ovarian cancer?” or “Is a presence of a particular assemblage of plants influenced by water temperature?)
• research and read more about your topic (Search the Library’s catalog and databases, and maybe some online search engines, using the keywords.)
• formulate a thesis statement (This may be the answer to your research question or a way to clearly state the purpose of your research, usually one or two sentences. You should have enough evidence to support the thesis statement. Examples: “Plant assemblages reflect water temperatures.” “Farming practices show a relation to ovarian cancer incidence.” )