Module 1: Define Your Topic, Generate and Refine Ideas (1 page 1) what's this?
| Consider the Rhetorical Situation | Generate and Refine Ideas | Define the Purpose | Consider the Audience | Develop a Tentative Thesis Statement |
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Generating
and refining ideas for documents can be one of the most difficult
stages in the writing process.
Sometimes you won’t be able to come up with any ideas,
while sometimes you may have so many ideas that sorting through them
may seem impossible.
Many techniques are available to assist you in generating and refining ideas for your research papers. You can use these techniques individually or together to generate and refine your ideas for your research paper, but remember to consider your entire rhetorical situation, including purpose and audience, as you refine your topic. We've listed a number of techniques below for you to investigate. Some you may be familiar with while some may be new to you. Simply click on the technique or techniques you are interested in learning more about. The technique will appear in a new window. Close the window to return to this page. |
background reading or researching, |
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brainstorming, |
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cubing, |
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free
writing, |
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using
journalist’s questions, |
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listing, |
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mapping, |
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outlining, |
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talking
with others, |
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and
keeping
a research journal. |
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These
are just a few of the techniques available to generate and refine
your topic. You may also refine your topic as you define the
purpose, consider the audience of your research paper, and research
your topic. Choose next to learn more about defining the purpose of
your paper. |
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Copyright 2003 by the Academic Center, the University of Houston-Victoria, and
Summer Leibensperger.
Created 2003 by Summer Leibensperger.
Define
Your Topic | Design Your Search Strategy
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