My first effective method for identifying and narrowing down to just one topic is to look at all of the listed topics and pick out two or three that might interest me.  I picked Aging Population and Global Water shortage.  In looking at research on both topics, I ultimately narrowed it down to Global Water Shortage. 

           Since I am already a part of the Aging Population, I decided that with me being somewhat of an authority on that, it would be a waste of my time to talk about me.  I already feel beyond old, so no point in making it worse.

           My next and probably last effective method of choosing a topic for research is to start with a short outline.  If I am still into the subject, then I began to get into writing some a paper on the topic.  If I lose all interest after the first paper or assignment, I look for something else.

           Three ways I critically analyze sources to determine if they are scholarly is to look at the author and see if the author is an authority on the subject matter.  The next way is to look at the source, such as if it is from a journal, scientific publisher, or a professional society.  Finally, I use reference material from the library as a credible source for information. 

Fast facts: Global water crisis. 844 million people lack basic drinking water access, more than 1 of every ten people on the planet. Women and girls spend an estimated 200 million hours hauling water every day. … 90 percent of all natural disasters are water-related. 

(www.worldvision.org/clean-water-news-stories/global-water-crisis-facts, 5/17/18).

           Support of my claims that we are in a bad situation with the Global Water Shortage.  The following two quotes are from Ashford University Library

           “Water scarcity is a great public health concern, affecting sanitation, hygiene, and disease prevention. It is predicted to increase substantially because of global climate change.  Although the earth is made up of 70 percent water, only 2.5 percent of that is freshwater, and only 1 percent is easily retrievable for human use.”  (Codington-Lacerte, C., 2013).

           “The eastern basin of the Aral Sea dried up completely in August, (2015) for the first time in 600 years. California has experienced an unprecedented three-year drought.  In today’s world, we see how the lack of access to water can fuel conflict and even threaten peace and stability.” (Eliasson, Jan 2015).

           The reason for using scholarly sources when writing on a selected is that it is really bad to quote an article or to post and then find out that your written view on the subject is in error.

References

Codington-Lacerte, C. (2013). Water scarcity. Salem Press Encyclopedia,

Eliasson, Jan. In: Nature. Jan 1, 2015, Vol. 517 Issue 7532, p. 6, 1 p.; Nature    Publishing Group Language: English, Database: CPI.Q (Canadian Periodicals)