Which of the following would NOT be considered preliminary research when selecting a topic for a research paper?

Conducting a thorough review of scholarly articles regarding each possible subject is typically considered an in-depth research activity rather than preliminary research. Preliminary research aims to give a broad overview of a topic, helping to identify what has already been discussed and the general landscape of available information, which is crucial during the initial stages of narrowing down a research topic.

A thorough review of scholarly articles involves detailed examination and analysis, which goes beyond mere exploration to engage significantly with existing research. This deeper engagement is more often part of the research process itself than the preliminary stage, where a researcher is still trying to determine the viability of various topics. Understanding fundamental concepts and identifying key debates usually come before conducting extensive reviews of published works.