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NURP 411: Scholarly Inquiry: Develop Topics

Nursing 411 Scholarly inquiry

"Can I talk to someone if I have any questions?"

Coming Up with a Topic

Coming up with a topic can be challenging, so here are a few places to look for ideas:

  • Course readings
  • Article abstracts
  • Current events
  • Background and reference sources
Any of these will give you hints about topics you're interested in, and words you can use to search for more information on them.

Learning About Your Topic

Before you try to find scholarly information for an assignment, it can help to do some background reading on your topic. The more you know about your topic, the easier it will be to find relevant articles and other types of information. Skim through your textbook, reliable websites, and the resources below to familiarize yourself with your topic. Keep an eye out for:

  • The main concepts that are related to your topic
  • The terminology that is used to describe different aspects of your topic (you can use these as keywords later when you're searching for articles)
  • Anything that you want to learn more about!

Websites for Background Information

It's important to closely evaluate health-related resources on the Internet. These are a few high-quality sources to get you started.

Library Resources for Background Information (See also NURP 507/508 Search Basics)

These resources are a great place to start when you're starting to explore your topic.

Research Cycle

Research is a cyclical process. As you learn more about your topic, you'll come across relevant words and phrases that you didn't think to search for the first time.

research cycle
Research cycle: Read about your topic, list keywords and phrases, search for more information

About Background Information

Unless you're already very familiar with your topic, you'll need to start by searching for background information.  Even though you won't end up citing a Wikipedia page or CQ Researcher entry in your final project, background sources like this help you build a solid foundation for your project. 

Background information allows you to gather:

  • Context - Reading about your topic helps you understand your social problem or issue and how it fits into the big picture.
  • Search terms - As you read, make a list of important words, phrases, and concepts that seem important for your topic.  You can use these words and phrases to develop your search terms when you're looking for journal articles.
  • Statistics & policies - As you read, keep track of statistics and the names of policies that are relevant for your topic.
  • References - Many background sources cite reports, journal articles, etc. that might be very relevant for your final project.  In addition to searching the databases for journal articles, this is a great way to find reputable sources.

General References Sources

These are general reference sources that cover a wide variety of topics, including health care.

Websites on Health-Related Social Problems

Explore these websites have lots of information about health-related social problems. These will help you learn more about your topic and will lead you to other sources.

Consumer Product Information

For some topics, you might find relevant information in consumer product information databases. Many of these are sponsored by consumer advocacy organizations, and others are run by government agencies.