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3.3: Visualize Your Topic- Venn Diagram

  • Page ID
    275280
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    Translate Your Interests into a Venn Diagram

    The mind map is a great tool for brainstorming, but not always the best for helping us find sources.

    The Venn diagram is a translation tool from our messy brains to the research databases.

    Each circle represents one concept. When circles overlap, that shows connections between concepts - but you don't need to label the overlaps.

    The gear icon in the very center of the diagram represents your topic. There might not be many (or any!) studies on your topic, and that's actually going to be helpful!

    Venn diagram with three circles. Center with all three overlapping has a gear icon.

    ot
    Note

    A topic eventually needs at least three facets - like a stool needs three legs to stand. But you don't have to know all three yet. You might only have two circles (or maybe you have more than a dozen). We'll refine later.

    Put it into Practice

    Now let's put the theory into practice.

    Example: Venn diagram \(\PageIndex{1}\)

    Here's a sample topic from my own research that I’ll use throughout this workbook.

    I was interested in how graduate students do research.

    This phrase only has two facets: graduate students + research:

    Venn diagram with 2 overlapping circles. One is labled Graduate students. The other is labeled Research.

    That's a start, but with only two facets, we don't yet know how they relate.

    Activity: Venn diagram \(\PageIndex{1}\)

    Now it’s your turn!

    • Draw 3 circles in your journal either on paper or a tool online (such as MS Word or Google Docs).
    • Choose a term from your mind map that excites you the most.
      • Enter that term into one circle.
      • Can you break that into smaller parts? For example, if you're interested in Black women, you'd have two circles: one for Black people and one for women.
    • Add a second term from your mind map
      • Enter that term into a second circle
    • Repeat for as many terms as you want to add.
    • Leave the intersections blank. Don't label how the circles connect. Each concept or facet of your topic should have its own circle.

    Remember: this is just a start! Don't stress about whether this is a perfect idea or how to make it a topic.

    Build Supports:

    At this point, you’re just doing some quick brainstorming. Now probably isn’t a time that you need to check in with your faculty or a librarian. There’ll be plenty of opportunities for that in later steps. For now, if you want, you can check in with friends about your interests, more as a casual discussion, just to generate thoughts.

    Next Steps:

    Keep your Venn diagram handy - we'll keep referring back to it. Your next step will be to use your search results to help refine the topic, so don’t stress about the topic just yet!


    This page titled 3.3: Visualize Your Topic- Venn Diagram is shared under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Frances Brady.

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