I. When to narrow a topic

        Most students will have to narrow down their topic at least a little.

II. Steps to narrow a topic

1. First, start out with a general topic. Take the topic and break it down into categories by asking the five Ws and H.
   • Who?
     Ex: American Space Exploration
   • What?
     Ex: Manned Space Missions
   • Where?
     Ex:  Moon Exploration
   • When?
     Ex: Space exploration in the 1960s
   • Why?
     Ex: Quest to leave Earth
   • How?
     Ex: Rocket to the Moon: Space Exploration
2. Then, consider the following question areas to generate specific ideas to narrow down your topic.
   • Problems faced? (Sustaining Life in Space: Problems with space exploration)
   • Problems overcome? (Effects of zero gravity on astronauts)
   • Motives? (Beating the Russians: Planning a moon mission)
   • Effects on a group? (Renewing faith in science: aftershock of the Moon mission)
   • Member group? (Designing a moon lander: NASA engineers behind Apollo 11)
   • Group affected? (From Test Pilots to Astronauts: the new heroes of the Air force)
   • Group benefited? (Corporations that made money from the American Space Program)
   • Group responsible for/ paid for… (The billion-dollar bill: taxpayer reaction to the cost of sending men to the moon)
3. Finally, refine your ideas by considering the S.O.C.R.A.P.R. model.
   • S = Similarities (Similar issues to overcome between the 1969 moon mission and the planned 2009 Mars Mission)
   • O = Opposites (American pro and con opinions about the first mission to the moon)
   • C = Contrasts (Protest or patriotism: different opinions about cost vs. benefit of the moon mission)
   • R = Relationships (the NASA family: from the scientists on earth to the astronauts in the sky)
   • A = Anthropomorphisms [interpreting reality in terms of human values] (Space: the final frontier)
   • P = Personifications [giving objects or descriptions human qualities] (the eagle has landed:  animal symbols and metaphors in the space program)
   • R = Repetition (More missions to the moon: Pro and Con American attitudes to landing more astronauts on the moon) 

Source: http//academichelp.net › general-writing-tips › writing-process

Nguyễn Huy Xuân Thiên Ngân
Giáo viên Tiếng Anh – Trường Quốc tế Á Châu