How can you narrow your topic to a single spoke or to a sub-header spoke on a map? How does this type of prewriting activity prepare you for outlining?

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By an accident of search engine behaviour, we have a lot of people asking us how to narrow their topics to a single spoke or to a sub-header spoke on a map. Even though these questions have been posted in an English language forum, we have have tried to find the exact answer, without any success.

The people asking the question all seem to come from Axia College/Phoenix University, so it is clearly a question they are pasting from an assignment into the search engines word for word. We have tried posting sticky answers saying that we do not have the exact answer and giving a few links to relevant sites, but these are ignored and we are asked about single spokes and sub-headers several times a month. It does not matter how many times we say that we don't know; all answers we have given are ignored and they keep posting the same question.

It is worrying that people studying at degree level seem to lack the research skills to look at previous answers and keep posting the same question. However, for Axia/Phoenix students coming to us for the first time, we do not have a straight answer to question about how to narrow your topics to a single spoke or to a sub-header spoke on a map. You can find a few links here, here and here. However, you will not find a straight answer to the question anywhere. Furthermore, your questions are simply skewing the results in search engines, so it would make more sense if you worked on those research skills in order to find a clear answer. If one of you returned with a clear answer once you had been taught it, it would help, but I am really not waiting with bated breath.

Categories: Editorial Policies


Wordy McWord!!

In a way I feel badly for these students, if that's the level of guidance/assistance they're getting for their college tuition dollars. But on the other hand, they certainly should've learned some research skills back in elementary school.

That's the problem - 'research skills back in elementary school'. All they learn today is that the Internet is a panacea. (Is my age showing? ;-))



I would like to say that I am a student of the above mentioned school. The students who have posted this question should have read ALL course materials and not tried to "cheat". I am in my second week of this particular class and all I had to do was actually take the time to read to figure the answer out. I find it appalling that some would try to have someone else do the work for them. I am choosing to post my answer here, maybe allowing people to see that it is not a bad program, just has some lazy people in it. Sad *shakes head* very sad!

How can you narrow your topic to a single spoke or to a sub-header of a spoke on the map?
There are some many different directions I could actually go with this particular subject. Outsourcing affects all of us in ways that we can't see at the moment. I would say that the best way for me to narrow my topic down to a single spoke would be to choose one area to hit on and stick with that. I could look at any of the initial thoughts and find one that generates the most ideas and just go with that one.

How does this type of prewriting activity prepare you for outlining?
It helps you to learn how to effectively organize all of your thought into one central location. From there, you are able to decide the most important detail that you want to expand upon and stick to that area. That way your thoughts will not be all over the place, making it difficult to center your essay.
Had I not done this exercise, I would not have had one clue about where to start. Now that I know where to start, it leaves me with an idea of where to end.


Thank you very much indeed for your answer. Enjoy your course.

Don't you think the reason students from the above mention school is asking for help on this topic is because the above mention school is just giving out the assignment. Sounds like they are just throwing the students to the wolves....

I agree with you Aquarius, I am attending the school mentioned above and it's riduculous how they think you can pull most of the answers from my back pocket, I get frusterated at time because they dont give you a clear explanation. They tell you read this and that and thats about it. I sometimes want to just quit and attend a real darn college with an Instructor looking at me guiding me the right way.

Um . . . Um . . . Um . . . Why is everybody attacking the school?! I go to the above mentioned school!! Just because you don't understand something doesn't make it a bad school!! I get EXCELLENT help from my professors and counselors!!! If you need help ASK! I have gotten more help and support from them then I ever did on an actual campus . . . I have dormed at a four-year university!! Just use your resources!! And for the record . . . I was just looking up the definition of a single spoke or a subheader of a spoke, to be sure of the exact defintion of the terms, before I answered the question! I know what research is and mind-mapping!! Who doesn't?! Just because I reached out to find the definition doesn't make me lazy, or cheating, or make Phoenix a bad school!!! It is a real school and they have great professors!! You would need the same help from a professor on a campus!! And you CAN talk to your professor and ask them questions!! Maybe you should try it!! I do all the time and I get my questions answered EVERYTIME!!! I didn't feel like reaching out to them with this particular question . . . but that doesn't mean I'm gonna start bad mouthing them! All universities and professors will give out work that a student doesn't understand!! That's why you either ask them or research it on your own . . .which is how some people got to this website!!

Truly disappointed in some of the responses up here!

Obviously the people who are talking trash about this school and about the people who go to this school have no lives or education. Come on people get a freaking life! These people everyone should try to avoid!

I attend Axia College and happened to be looking for a definition as well. The professors are amazing as well as the rest of the staff. The people that attend this school, and continue to post the same question, are lazy and trying to cheat their way to a degree. Axia College is an online school so you do have to be dedicated and have self discipline. READING is a HUGE part of this school, as it would be for any online class. Before you bad mouth a school you know nothing about, do your research. Axia has lazy students just as other colleges have lazy students. The only difference is people pointing the finger at us because they are skeptical and know nothing about distance learning. Have a great day folks!

At one we stage we were getting the question posted frequently in the forum, which was why I put this here. Since then the question is very rarely asked, so the majority of the Axia College students are approaching their research in the right away and moving on to continue looking. Thanks a lot


Wow, What is going on here I go to this school. I have high respect for the staff at axia,as said above you are gonna get lazy at any school. I was trying to be clear on what i was sappose to do. My question was, Example of single head spoke and subheader spoke? I got this! I could have gotten any example to show me what single head spoke was but, it would not be of my subject so how is this cheating HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!! I guess now I am sorry I asked for help.

I go to the mentioned school as well. I have had good and bad experiences with staff. Some teachers are in it to teach the students, others well I feel are just doing their job... I dont think students are lazy because they are searching for this they are just trying to find the answer and since I DID look through reading assignments and did not find it I started looking else where. I agree with some one eho said we are just being thrown to the wolves, because we are. When I sighned up for Axia I knew it would take A LOT of self motivation and all of that but honestly I didnt know it was going to be like this. We are told what to do and have to learn everyting on our own and at times it can be frusterating especially because I have seen the people going to Axia have busy hectic schedules. So no students arn't being lazy because they are looking for a definition online so they CAN do their work. Lazy would be just guessing. Also since this course everyone's topic is different so there is no way to cheat and get an answer.....

I also attend Axia college, and I, as well as many others, were just looking for the definition of single spokes and sub-headers. I have had a great experience so far and have also had a lot of help from classmates and my instructors. There is no reason for anyone to bad mouth the University of Phoenix's instructors or materials. This is the first time I have had to research a definintion outside of my class resources. I just think if you want to talk crap about a college then go straight to the source and write about it there. There is no need for immature comments, especially from college students!

I'm an axia college student, and from time to time I will look up a definition, or synonym of a word given to me in an assignment and I will see my assignment listed word for word, right there in google. Please know we are not all like this. I find this pretty pathetic, and lazy. And honestly, I don't know when people became so ignorant. I enjoy my classes and have a 4.0 gpa, thus far. Unfortunately there are a lot of subpar students out there.

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