Selecting a Topic
· Browse your text book, great place to start since it is the first source that you have available.
· Browse articles relating to sport & exercise science in the popular press, such as Sports Illustrated and USA Today
· Listen to the news for reports on sports injuries or fitness
· Browse exercise sites such as The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, http://www.fitness.gov/resources_health.htm
· Browse exercise related books such as World of Sports Science
· Go over your class notes, since your professor and classmates will mention topics during class discussions that you would like to be more educated about.
· Most important, select a topic that is interesting and will keep you motivated to do the research.
· Initially, your topic will be TOO BROAD. An example is sports injuries (ask yourself, what about a topic that you would like to focus on).
· Once you have decided on a topic, do some background reading and this will help you to focus on a specific aspect of the topic.
· As you read more and more about your topic, you will be able to focus on a specific area of interest, thus narrowing your topic.
· You may need to modify your topic several times to get it just right.
· Focus on an specific injury: elbow injuries
· Focus on a specific population: baseball pitchers