Gather background info / Focus your topic
Somewhere in between your initial idea and settling on a research question, you may need to do background research on how scholars in a particular subject area have discussed your topic. You may find background research in your textbook or class readings, academic books in the library's collection, or reference sources.
The databases below compile encyclopedia sources from a variety of disciplines, and they can be a great way to consider how your topic has been studied from different angles.
- Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new windowOnline version of many Oxford University Press reference works, ranging from specialized dictionaries and companions to major reference works such as the Encyclopedia of Human Rights, the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink, the Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States, and the Oxford Encyclopedia of Economic History, among many others.
- Oxford Bibliographies: International Relations This link opens in a new windowOffers peer-reviewed annotated bibliographies on the study of foreign affairs and political interaction between states. Bibliographies are browseable by subject area and keyword searchable.
Use NUSearch to browse for books, reference entries, and periodicals to build background information.
After you have an initial project idea, you can think deeper about the idea by developing a "Topic + Question + Significance" sentence. This formula came from Kate Turabian's Student's Guide to Writing College Papers. Turabian notes that you can use it plan and test your question, but do not incorporate this sentence directly into your paper (p. 13):
TOPIC: I am working on the topic of __________,
QUESTION: because I want to find out __________,
SIGNIFICANCE: so that I can help others understand __________.
Turabian, Kate L. Student's Guide to Writing College Papers. 4th edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 2010.
Remember: the shorter your final paper, the narrower your topic needs to be.
- Which specific subset of the topic you can focus on? Specific demographic groups, people, places, times
- Is there something about this topic that is not already addressed in scholarship?
- Is there a relationship you can explore:
- cause/effect
- compare/contrast
- current/historical
- group/individual
- opinion/reason
- problem/solution
How do you move from a topic or a research question to searching in a database? You first have to pick out keywords from your research question.
Turkish Studies
Redhouse by Call Number: 494.3 R3157
- Turkey. : Selected Foreign Policy Issues and U.S. Views.Reviews Turkish policies on foreign policy, Iraq, Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, Israeli-Syrian talks, Syria, Iran, European Union, Cyprus, Armenia, Afghanistan, energy issues, China, and U.S. relations; and discusses U.S. Administration and Congressional views of Turkey in these contexts.
- Gale eBooks This link opens in a new windowSearchable database of several hundred subject encyclopedias and other reference works across all subject areas, but with particular strengths in the social sciences and humanities. It includes a number of major reference works, and is Northwesterns largest single collection of reference materials. A good source for authoritative background information.