Library Resources: Nursing

Every research project should start with a quick assessment and a basic plan.

Choosing Your Topic

It will start with choosing your topic. There are many ways to choose a topic, but here are three suggestions that work well:

• Solve a problem - think about an issue or problem and research possible solutions. This shouldn't be something massive, like curing cancer, but something you already have some idea about how to address.
• "So how about..." - have you ever been reading a chapter in one of your textbooks or assigned articles and thought "I'd like to know more about this!" Those topics usually make great research projects!
• Close to home - topics which have a personal connection to you can be the most interesting to research.

Once you have a basic idea about what you want to research, think about how much you know about the topic already. If you don't know much about the topic, don't worry! Usually, you can learn a lot about a topic in just a few minutes of basic searching.

Brain Dump

Before we get started, take a few minutes to write down anything that comes to mind after your initial searches. 

• It's okay if you have more written about one than the others. After you've been writing for a while, start to consider which one you'd like to focus on today. 
• And if there is one you feel very certain about researching, focus on that one.

Concept Mapping

Concept mapping helps you create a visual design, picture, or diagram of the thinking you are engaged in so you can reflect, sort, and refocus the ideas easily. You will be joining all that you already know with what you learn during your research to build a more complete landscape of the topic you are working on. 

Use this concept-mapping exercise to allow your brain to "free­think" along the way to the development of a research question.

Phase 1: Words

In the center of the sheet, write down your research topic (the most important word, short phrase, or symbol that relates to the subject idea you want to research).

1. Draw a circle around this main idea. 
2. Take a minute or two and think about what you put down on the paper. Thinking freely, without any expectation of the result, write or mark any and all related words, concepts, or symbols outside the circle. Write anything you can think of that is even remotely related to the topic idea. 
3. Come up with at least four subtopics that relate to your main idea. 
4. For each of your four subtopics, think of three to four subdivisions (details) that fall under the subtopics. 

Phase 2: Connections

Leave lots of white space so your concept map has room to grow and develop. 

1. Now draw squares around single ideas and circles around groups of ideas. 
2. Use lines to connect these items to the main idea and to groups of related ideas. 
3. Use arrows to interconnect ideas or to form subgroups of ideas. 

Phase 3: Editing/Refocusing

Think about the relationship of "outside-the-circle" items to the center item. This is a great time to use a mind mapping tool or post-note maps!

• Erase and replace or shorten words to some key ideas. 
• Relocate important items closer to each other for better organization. 
• Link symbols with words to clarify relationships. 
• What are you thinking about now? How is your topic developing? 

Keyword: an informative word used in an information retrieval system to indicate the content of a document

Use your concept map to harvest keywords based on you research topic. These are the first words you'll be using in combination to search in the database.

As you search, keep track of words that get you the best results. Pay attention to the Subject Headings attached to the articles. These are a great way to build search strings and work within the database using it's language.

PRO TIP: Create an account in the database you are using. You can then save your search history and track your success with different combinations. 

Research question with keywords highlighted

In adult patients with celiac disease, what are the effects of prebiotics or probiotics, compared to a control, on gastrointestinal health and gastrointestinal symptoms over 365 days?

Topic Worksheet

Build a Keyword List

Once you have read your assignment, know what types of sources you need and have selected and explored your topic, use the below "Topic Worksheet" to begin building a list of keywords on your topic.

The Topic Worksheet below will help you organize your thoughts on your topic and come up with a list of terms and keywords, related to your topic that you can use to begin your searches.

Use the Topic Worksheet during your entire search process, especially while finding sources, as you discover even more about your topic based on the search results you find.

Topic Worksheet Example

Here is an example of a filled out Topic Worksheet to help clarify how this tool can help you develop your topic and continue your searches.

Blank Topic Worksheet

1. Begin by saving a copy of the blank Topic Worksheet document to your device.
2. Fill in your topic or thesis statement at the top.
3. Spend some time thinking about your topic. What about your topic do you want to know? What is interesting about it? Fill in the 3 main Concepts. Use the Topic Exploration resources to help with this if needed.
4. Then, brainstorm all of the words you can think of under each Concept.