This slideshow is part of a Decision-based Learning module for Information Literacy. The information is not intended to stand on its own.

1. TOPICS: SPECIFICITY
IDEA 1
IDEA 2 IDEA 3

2. Think of your topic as a focused view of a broader
knowledge domain:
z You don’t
need to have a
perfectly defined
topic to begin
your search. You
will learn as you
go; however, a
well-defined
topic can help
you search more
efficiently.
• Different search strategies are available for broad vs narrow topics
POORLY DEFINED RESEARCH DOMAIN
DEFINED BUT BROAD
RESEARCH DOMAIN
NARROW
TOPIC

3. Examples
• Poorly defined research domain
Something about autonomous vehicles
• Defined but broad research domain
Autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles
• Narrower topic
Vision systems for autonomous UAVs

4. v
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