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First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Research

Develop a Topic

Ideally, you will choose a topic that you are interested in. Research of this topic should have the ability to result in positive change. Are you unsure where to start your research or do you need to choose a topic? Try exploring your subject area through background research. Background research is essential for understanding a particular area's broader context, controversies, main ideas, and sub-topics. It provides a basis from which ideas can be generated and questions asked.

Encyclopedias, periodicals, course readings, and books are all great sources for exploring topics. Browsing the titles, table of contents, introductions and conclusions of books and encyclopedias will provide general information on your topic and can help you to think about how you might narrow down your topic and formulate a research question.

Here are some general sources you might consult. Please note that some resources are dated and use historical language that does not reflect our values. 

Refining your topic can feel challenging. Choose a topic that you find interesting or important and consider how your research will contribute to scholarly conversations. A useful strategy when creating a working thesis is to develop some driving questions to guide your research. Begin by considering course themes or issues relevant to your assignment and note any questions that come to mind.

Narrow your topic by thinking about the following comments:

What are the concepts, policies, processes, or behaviours that you wish to examine?

Who does your topic affect? 

When does your topic occur? Consider time periods or date ranges.

Where does your topic take place? Consider international, national, provincial or community perspectives.

Finally, question if there is a why or a how behind your topic.

 

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The following resources can help you further brainstorm, refine, revise and work through your topic:

  • Brainstorming Strategies: purpose of brainstorming is to generate as many creative new ideas as possible about a particular concept, issue, problem or question
  • Nutshelling Strategy: Nutshelling is a useful strategy for laying out the substance of your paper in a few concise sentences. This strategy is useful after you have done some preliminary research but you are feeling overwhelmed by the multitude of ideas, details, examples, etc.
  • Plus, Minus, Interesting (PMI) Strategy: PMI stands for Plus / Minus / Interesting. It is a strategy for making decisions and generating ideas about issues and topics

Sometimes your instructor will provide a list of specific topics to choose from based on course content or lectures. It is important to make sure that you understand the assignment and the course readings that the topic is based on. 

  • Review course readings and classroom or tutorial discussions. These can highlight issues or approaches within a course that may help you develop good topics or questions for further research.
  • Read the assignment topic prompt carefully. Identify any required definitions, theories, theorists, and special concepts in the context of your course. Then review related course lectures, slides, and readings before searching the library catalogue (Omni). 
  • For relevant course readings, look at the references or works cited list to help find similar articles and books on your topic to start your search. 

See the SPARK: Choosing a Topic module for more strategies, tips and tricks.  

Browse the Library Catalogue

Books, eBooks, databases, journals, magazines, government reports, and other materials focusing on popular Indigenous topics can be found in our Omni catalogue and special collections using some of the following searches.This list is not exhaustive.

Truth and Reconciliation | Treaties | Indigenous Law | MMIW | 2 Spirit | Indigenous Lanuages | Sixties Scoop | Indigenous Medicine | Residential Schools | Red Power Movement | Indigenous Environmental Justice