2. Have you ever attended a library research
session at SUNY Orange?
1. yes
61%
2. no
3. not sure
35%
4%
1 2 3
3. Have you had a library research session
with me before?
83%
1. yes
2. no
3. not sure
9% 9%
1 2 3
4. Which of these words below best describes
your opinion of the word “research”?
1. thought provoking 27% 27%
2. easy
3. difficult 18%
4. confusing
5. hard work 9% 9% 9%
6. interesting
7. boring 0%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5. What do you think is the hardest part about
doing a research paper?
1. Deciding on a topic
2. Narrowing down a topic to create a thesis
32%
statement
3. Finding background information on a topic
23%
4. Evaluating information to make sure it’s
reliable/acceptable 18%
5. Organizing the information you find 14%
6. Writing the paper 9%
7. Citing my sources properly 5%
0%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6. How confident are you in your ability to narrow
down your topic into a successful thesis statement
for your paper?
35%
1. No confidence whatsoever
26%
2. Lacking confidence
3. Not sure
17% 17%
4. Somewhat confident
5. Confident- I am an expert thesis statement
writer and “narrower downer”
4%
1 2 3 4 5
8. How do you know if a topic is
too narrow or too broad?
Too narrow =
Too broad =
9. Methods to Narrow a Topic
Ask yourself these questions:
What do you know about it? What don't you know?
What aspects of your topic interest you: historical,
sociological, psychological, etc.?
What time period do you want to cover?
On what geographic region do you want to focus?
What kind of information do you need?
