Select a case, then narrow your topic down to a specific point about the case. This will make researching your topic much easier!
Example:
O.J. Simpson
O.J. Simpson was guilty.
O.J. Simpson was found not guilty because the prosecution seemed racially motivated.
What do you need to know?
A good research question is the basis for your information search. Your question should not be too broad ("What is the history of the United States?") or too specific ("How many people died at the Battle of Little Bighorn?"). It should be focused enough to guide you in a specific direction, but broad enough to not have a statistical answer. Example: "What was the influence of local terrain on the Battle of Little Bighorn?".
Read more about Research Questions:
Find the two or three most important terms in your research question or thesis statement. These are your search terms. Databases don't like natural language searching (the way you might search using Google, i.e. "Why was Lizzie Borden found not guilty"). Instead,conduct targeted searches using key concept terms or phrases.
Thesis statements:
This thesis argues Lizzie Borden's innocence:
Lizzie Borden was rightfully acquitted because of the following pieces of evidence: a, b, c, and d.
OR
This thesis argues Lizzie Borden's guilt:
Lizzie Borden was wrongfully acquitted because of the following pieces of evidence: a, b, c, and d.
***For your thesis, you will list the actual pieces of evidence—a, b, c, and d are placeholders. And your body paragraphs will set out to defend your position based those specific pieces of evidence.
Key concepts:
Lizzie Borden, acquitted, evidence, burned dress, inquest, prussic acid, whereabouts, barn loft, axe, testimonies
Using Boolean operators will help target your search further. This is especially helpful when you use alternative terms for some of your key concepts. This broadens your search results.
Example:
Key concepts: O.J. Simpson, not guilty, race
Let's add some alternative terms in there. To do this, use the Boolean operator "OR" between two like terms. Place those terms in parenthses.
("not guilty" OR acquitted)
(race OR "African American")
Note: use quotation marks around two or more words that you want to search as a single term.
Make a search statement by using the Boolean operator "AND" in between your search terms.
O.J. Simpson AND ("not guilty" OR acquitted) AND (race OR "African American")