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Literature Review: Topic Development

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Created on November 7, 2025

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Preliminary Literature Review: Topic Development

START

by Dr. Olga Koz, Collegiate Librarian and IRML Evidence Synthesis Methodologist

Objectives

of the learning module

Learn

Develop

Understand

Discover

Topic, Concepts, Question
Tools
Definition, process

Finding gaps in ResearchFraming the research Positioning research in the literature

Learn and understand about the process of preparation to research, including reviiewing literature to develop a research topic and question

Sources and Tools availble at the library or outside of the library walls

Learn about the process of the development of a research topic, question, concepts clarification

01

Understand

Learn and understand the research preparation process within the college or high school curriculum, including reviewing literature as a key part of it.

start

Definition

01

A preliminary literature review involves identifying and analyzing existing research to develop a research topic, clarify key concepts and connections between them, and learn about the key literature in the area of research Essentially, it's a simultaneous learning and research process.

Research Planning

01

College/High School curriculum

Hopscotch Research Design by Dr. Jorrin Abellan

Hopscotch Research Design Model

+ info

Research Proposal with Literature Review by Dr. Koz

How
What
Why
Topic & Concepts Development
Problem or Interest
Research Question
Protocol evaluation, ethical, research integrity, rigor
Theoretical & Concept. Framework
Literature Review

Gaps in knowledge, positioning

Research Design
Goals or Purposes
Approach to research, worldview, paradigms

02

Develop

Research Concepts, Topic. and Question

start

Topic Development

02

The role of the literature review
  • Scholar-practitioner
  • Applied research
  • Conceptual Learning for a student
  • New topic for a researcher

02

Topic Elements - Narrow the topic

Disciplinary Index: Topic Mapping

Thesaurus Subject Dictionaries, Concept Mapping

Problem of Practice/Research Gaps

Filters in the databases/indexes to narrow a topic

Topic Development

For qualitative vs. quantitative research

Quantitative Study: 2 narrow operational concepts or variables

Qualitative study: Broad concept or a phenomenon

+ info
+ info
Research Question Structure

02

If you fully develop the research topic, it will be easier to formultate a research question based on the research types and methodology

Learn more about a research question structure

https://libguides.kennesaw.edu/questions/structure

03

Discover

Sources and Tools available at the library or outside of the library walls

start

Preliminary Search

Systematic search

Learn more about

Sources

for research topic development

Concepts Connecting

Title 01

Concepts/Broad/Narrow/Relevant Terms Clarification & Connection
Subtitle here

Knowledge Mapping

Subject scientific dictionaries, research handbooks- clarify terms and concepts

Synopsis, Summaries, Gale Topic Finder, "Dimensions," and other literature mapping tools

Check the academic databases Subjects or Thesaurus option, concept mapping tools

ThesaurusBrowsing

List of databases with a thesaurus and tutorials how to do this search by a database

Academic Databases

Gale Databases

Gale Topic Finder

Gale In Context: High School and Gale OneFile: High School Edition

Video

PDF

Research Topic Overview

Open Access AI app

Research Topics Visual Map Concept Mapping Link to texts

Link

Info

AI Research Topic Generators

Paperguide

Lorem Ipsum

The example of the AI driven Topic Generator

  • Lorem ipsum dolor sit
  • Consectetur adipiscing
  • Donec eu porta justo
  • Sed interdum dui
  • Integer convallis in
  • Be aware of the limitations of using generic GPTs for research
  • Complimentary tool

Guides to Research Planning & Literature Review Review

04

Link

05

Quiz

What tool is the most helpful for research topic development?

start

Quiz

Select a tool or technique

Select a tool

Quiz

Wrong!

Limitations of GPTs

Oops!

  • Hallucinations and Inaccuracy
  • Lack of "Out-of-the-Box" and Genuine Thinking
  • Lack of Contextual and Domain Expertise

Quiz

Make a decision

Narrow the topic

Make a decision

In a quantitative study, limiting concepts provide boundaries that keep the research feasible.

Include speciifc population (age, education or other charsacteristics)

Finding small gap in knowledge in research or evidence

Limiting the scope, the context, the setting of the study

Bibliography

Write a subtitle here

Interactive Research Methods Lab (IRML) https://irml.kennesaw.edu/start_here.php

01

Koz. O. Preliminary Literature Review

02

Koz. O. Guide to Research Planning

03

04

Koz. O. 2025. Research Topic Development: Tutorial

Lesson completed!

KnowledgeMap overviews research topics and the documents related to each area. Identify relevant content. Separate the wheat from the chaff: AI pipeline clusters similar documents together despite ambiguous terms. Identify relevant concepts with the help of AI: one of the most difficult tasks when you are new to a research field is to learn the “language” of the field. Find open content: the Knowledge Maps include both closed- and open-access documents.

The quantitative approach requires you to take a broad topic and rigorously narrow it down to just two primary operational concepts or variables. You must then define precisely how you will measure them, turning abstract ideas into concrete variables. Finding theories that establish existing relationships might help. This diagram illustrates the reduction process. The broad topic is distilled into two clear concepts ("Academic Pressure" and "GPA"). These are then operationalized into measurable variables (e.g., a test score for pressure, an official GPA for performance). The final question is a linear, testable hypothesis about the relationship between these two specific variables.

The qualitative approach involves starting with a broad topic or construct and then exploring the connections among many concepts that emerge. You might narrow down at the beginning, but you expand and capture the phenomenon's complexity during the study.As shown in the diagram above, a broad topic like "College Student Stress" explodes into a web of interconnected, non-linear concepts. The goal is not to isolate them but to understand how they interact. The final research question reflects this by being open-ended ("How..."), focusing on the process of navigation and the meaning of the experience.