Los Angeles Valley College Library: Psychology Research Guide: Develop a Topic

Explore & Refine

Explore Your Topic
Refine Your Topic

A hiker cresting a mountain with the word "Explore"

Before you develop your research topic or question, you'll need to do some background research first.

Some good places to find background information:

Your textbook or class readings
Encyclopedias and reference books
Credible websites
Library databases

Try the library databases below to explore your topic. When you're ready, move on to refining your topic.

Find Background Information:

Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Cross-searches full text of more than one hundred encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources.
Opposing Viewpoints In Context This link opens in a new window
Check the "Browse Issues" tab to explore a lengthy list of controversial issues. Click on an issue link to see pro/con viewpoint essays; full-text magazine, academic journal, and news articles; statistical tables, charts, and graphs; images, videos; audio files, and more.

The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology (Vol. 1) by Jacqueline L. Longe (Ed.)
Publication Date: 2022
This resource covers the entire spectrum of psychology, including: notable people, theories and terms; landmark case studies and experiments; applications of psychology in advertising, medicine and sports; and career information. Use the "Search Within" feature under FILTER YOUR RESULTS to look up specific terms/names.
The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology (Vol. 2) by Jacqueline L. Longe (Ed.)
Publication Date: 2022
Use the "Search Within" feature under FILTER YOUR RESULTS to look up specific terms/names.
APA Dictionary of Psychology® by Gary R. VandenBos (Ed.)
Publication Date: 2015
This reference resource offers definitive information on the lexicon of the field, including almost 26,000 entries offering clear and authoritative definitions, thousands of incisive cross-references that deepen the user's comprehension of related topics, more than 400 brief biographical entries on historical figures in psychology and other related areas, and a Quick Guide to Format that explain stylistic and format features.
The Cambridge Dictionary of Psychology by David Matsumoto (Ed.)
Publication Date: 2009
The Cambridge Dictionary of Psychology is the first and only dictionary that surveys the broad discipline of psychology from an international, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary focus. Entries related to culture, as well as those from all domains of psychology, are written with the broadest possible audience in mind.

a glass beaker with gold liquid inside with the word "Refine" at the top Now that you've done some background research, it's time to narrow your topic. Remember: the shorter your final paper, the narrower your topic needs to be. Here are some suggestions for narrowing and defining your topic:

Is there a specific subset of the topic you can focus on?
Is there a cause and effect relationship you can explore?
Is there an unanswered question on the subject?
Can you focus on a specific time period or group of people?

Describe and develop your topic in some detail. Try filling in the blanks in the following sentence, as much as you can:

I want to research ____(what/who)____ and ____(what/who)____

in ____(where)____ during ____(when)____ because ____(why)____.

Example: I want to research smartphones and social media addiction/anxiety in young adults during college because I think it's one of the biggest problems facing the younger generation today.

Video: How to Narrow Your Topic

The following video [3:34] will give you tips for narrowing your topic. Note: clicking on the image below will open the video in a new tab or window.