Finding a Research Topic

I have never read such a detailed account about finding a research topic. Throughout my high school career I just thought of current topics that interested me, searched for relevant issues surrounding the topic in Google, and picked a topic. Never having a specific structure or way of choosing a topic, I found the task difficult, time-consuming, and stressful. Before reading this chapter I preferred classes in which professors gave me a topic. The topic was not the most intriguing to me, but at least the professors saved me time and stress. On the other hand, I was not always be the most passionate, excited person when finding data and exploring the research question.
The book’s explanation of developing and modifying a research topic provides helpful tips for someone like me, so now I would genuinely be more interested in investigating my research question. The most important yet simplest part of the process involves writing down my ideas from the beginning and visually looking for patterns. Normally, I think of ideas in my head and sort them out there itself. For my last research paper, for example, I brainstormed current controversial issues in my head. First, I knew that I would be more interested in researching a topic that affected my peers and me. I then narrowed down potential topics by choosing ones involving disagreements and disputes. Again, I brainstormed and narrowed down ideas in my head only. If I had written these ideas on paper, I could have come up with a richer, more specific topic.
The topic I chose in the end was about abortion. I presented both sides, pro-life and pro-choice, and kept my opinion to myself. However, I did not completely research, think about, or explain the consequences of my findings and their significance – a vital step in the book’s process of finding a topic. I now understand that although my topic may have been of interest to some readers, I did not go nearly enough in depth to make the issue more relevant to a wider