The best way to pick a topic for your project is to have plenty of time to think about it very early on. For Animal Behavior, you will want to start thinking about it at the beginning for the course.
Begin thinking about the animal and behavior that you want to focus on by asking yourself the questions below. Record your topic ideas in a log or journal, making sure not to evaluate any ideas during the process. Remember, even seemingly simple ideas can lead you to a relevant topic area and a review question. This process can be an invaluable way to help you with research throughout your program.
- What are your major interests within animal behavior?
- What personal experiences have you had that were particularly significant or meaningful to you, as it relates to animal behavior?
- What theories and concepts presented in the course are most interesting to you?
- Are there some ideas we have studied which you are curious about and would like to explore more?
- What are the major issues or problems relating to animals and their behavior?
- Have you read any interesting articles or books related to animal behavior?
The next step is to start identifying keywords related to your potential topic ideas. Try to break down your topic or research question into 2-4 overall main ideas; these main ideas become simple keywords which “point the way” to research in that area. Similar to the Topic Ideas Journal, keep a keyword list when you are researching a topic.