Step 2: General Reading

Some of you already think that you know what topic you would
like to research. Some of you have several ideas from which you
will need to select one. Some of you have an idea, but you do not
know if there is enough information to write a 1000 word essay.

All of you, no matter to which of these groups you belong,
need to find a general article about your topic and read that article to
determine if you are really interested in that topic. These articles
may be in an encyclopedia, a magazine, or a SIRSvolume.

This step in the research process serves two purposes:

1.

You will find out if the topic is really interesting to you.

and

2.

You will probably discover whether or not you can really write
about the topic.

Once you have done this general reading, I will check with

each one of you to see what topic you have chosen. After this point,

you will be “locked in” to this topic, and I will probably refuse to

allow you to change your topic.

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