Subdividing your subject by asking questions
One way to subdivide a subject is to ask questions sparked by reading, research, class discussions, or talking to your classmates.
| Subject | teen pregnancy |
| Question | Why do Waterford and Troy, neighboring cities, have different rates of teen pregnancy? |
This question would give you a manageable topic for a short paper.
Restricting your purpose
Sometimes you realize that your initial goal—your draft purpose—is more than you could hope to accomplish in a brief paper.
| Subject | teen pregnancy |
| Draft purpose | preventing teen pregnancy |
| More limited purpose | showing how changing the health curriculum for sixth graders results in lower rates of teen pregnancy |
Rethinking your purpose in this way would give you a manageable topic.
Restricting your audience
Consider writing for a particular audience.
| Subject | teen pregnancy |
| Audience | general public |
| More limited audience | educators; school administrators |
Addressing a specific group with a special interest is a way to make your topic more manageable.
Considering the information available to you
Look at the information you have collected. If you have gathered a great deal of information on one aspect of your subject (birth control education) and less information on other aspects (counseling for expectant teen parents), you may have found your topic.
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