Dear NURIA,

It’s the start of the new semester, and while I am excited about the new school year, I am a bit anxious about getting more into research and writing. I am now in my last year of study and I am well aware that more research and writing works are expected of us. I am not really into research, and it sounds daunting to me. The idea of thinking about what topic to study sounds challenging for me already. Any advice for a newbie in writing research? Thanks!
- Khalil

Hi Khalil

Welcome to the new semester, and congratulations on making it this far! I understand that you feel a bit overwhelmed with the idea of doing “research”, let alone choosing a topic to study, and this is totally fine. Let me share with you some steps to help you get started.

Since you specifically mentioned choosing a topic, you can start with something that interests you or ignites your curiosity. Reflecting on your own experiences will also help you to determine what topics really interest you. Once you have some topics in mind, find time to discuss them with your professors, with Writing Center instructors, with a librarian, with potential experts, or with friends to know more about the topic you choose. Conversations with others will help you to have a better understanding of the topic you have in mind. You can also do a preliminary search of this topic through available library resources.

Just a tip, a good topic is something that “should” be and “can” be researched. That means the topic is something that is worthy of pursuing and is doable (realistically speaking!)
Hope this helps!

Beyond books,

NURIA