I thought I had the perfect topic: "The Impact of Social Media on Society." My professor wrote "too broad" in red and suggested I narrow it. I was frustrated — it seemed perfectly reasonable to me.
After office hours, I finally understand what "too broad" means. A topic is too broad if you can't possibly cover it in your page limit. "The Impact of Social Media on Society" would need a book, maybe several books. For a 5-page paper? Impossible.
Questions to check if your topic is too broad:
The University of Southern Queensland's writing guide says a good topic should be something you can actually explore deeply within your word limit . If you're just skimming the surface, it's too broad.
I'm starting over, but at least now I know what "narrow" actually means. Anyone else struggle with this?
After office hours, I finally understand what "too broad" means. A topic is too broad if you can't possibly cover it in your page limit. "The Impact of Social Media on Society" would need a book, maybe several books. For a 5-page paper? Impossible.
Questions to check if your topic is too broad:
- Can you state your main argument in one clear sentence?
- Does your topic have a specific time period, population, or location?
- Are there too many directions you could take it?
The University of Southern Queensland's writing guide says a good topic should be something you can actually explore deeply within your word limit . If you're just skimming the surface, it's too broad.
I'm starting over, but at least now I know what "narrow" actually means. Anyone else struggle with this?
