Most likely you will need to narrow the focus of your topic, since most topics are far too broad to be covered in a research paper. However, sometimes a topic is so narrow in scope that little information can be found on it. In that case, you will need to expand your topic.
You will need to go from a general topic or bigger picture, to a more specific topic and then refine it to a more precise topic or the bigger picture broken down to smaller parts to do your research.
EXAMPLE:
A general topic may be media violence
A more specific topic may be the effects of media violence on children
A precise topic could be the behavioral effects of television violence on preschool children.
Then brainstorm the question that could have bearing on your topic. Like:
How many hours of television do children watch?
How are violent children’s programs identified?
Are there research studies that observed children before and after watching violent programs?