Developing Research Topics: Choosing a Topic

Let's assume that your instructor has asked you to write about the American Civil War.

How to Brainstorm:

1. Fill in the columns with basic information that you know about the American Civil War.
2. Try to connect ideas from the different columns to form a topic.
3. Write down a phrase or question that expresses the concept. Usually you can come up with several approaches.

• "What was Texas' role in the military aspects of the Civil War?"
• "How did abolitionists affect politics in the North?"
• "How the end of slavery changed the Southern economy."