Help Getting Started - CALS 2990: Junior Honors College Seminar - Murray (Spring 2025)

Choosing a Topic

Choosing a Topic
Strategies that you can use when choosing a topic, including reviewing and understanding the assignment, and selecting a quality topic.

Sample Topic, Research Question, and Keywords

Here is a example of how to approach keyword development for your topic and research question.

Sample research topic: GMOs and human health
Sample research question: What impact do GMOs have on human health?

Concept 1: GMOs

broad: genetically modified organisms, genetically engineering organisms, genetically modified foods, transgenic plants, pharma crops
specific: golden rice, Bt corn, Flavr Savr tomato

Concept 2: human health (impacts)

broad: nutrition, disease, human development
specific: cancer, food allergy, toxicity, antibiotic resistance

Tutorials

The below tutorials have been created to teach you about using and navigating library resources. Each tutorial focuses on one skill and takes roughly 10-15 minutes to complete:

Finding Articles
This tutorial will help you choose the right tool for your research, according to the material you need and where you are in the research process. You will also learn simple and advanced techniques for using these tools effectively.
Reading and Working with Citations
This tutorial will help you interpret the bibliographies attached to materials you've already found and use them to find more information.