Studying a topic can seem overwhelming the first time.  Where do you even begin?  The truth is that there are a lot of starting places and techniques that you can use, and as you study more, you will develop your own style and methodology.  The format that I am providing here is just an initial framework that you can use at first.  Then as you gain experience, experiment with other methods that suit your own style.

Format for Topical Research:

1. Pray.  Ask God to guide your study and show you connections between texts.  Ask that He will steer you away from false ideas and connections and into His truth.
2. Pick a Topic.  Sometimes it helps to look for relationships as you study.  For example, what does baptism have to do with conversion?  Or you might do a word study, such as what does the Bible say about the armor of God.
3. Collect and organize verses.  I like to use my word processor and eSword Bible study software for this step because I can use the electronic concordance to find the verses and then copy and paste from eSword into a document. From there, I can begin grouping similar verses by cutting and pasting.  If you are using pen and paper, I would recommend using index cards for this step.
4. Read the verses and ask questions about the verses.  What does this say about the topic?  How is this related to ________?  How is this different from ______?  What does this look like in real life?  What examples of this principle does the Bible give in the narrative sections (the stories)?
5. Write your answers. 
6. Summarize your ideas.  It is helpful every so often to step back and take stock of what you have already learned.  Basically, think about your topic and summarize the information that you have found so far.  You can do this in writing or just say it out loud.
7. Repeat Steps 4-6. Continue reading verses, questioning, answering, and summarizing until you are finished with all your verses.
8. Final Paraphrase.  In your own words, sum up the most important information that you have learned from your study.
9. Pray.  Ask God to continue teaching you and showing you the significance of the truth that He has revealed to you during your study.

If you want more in-depth information and suggestions, read my post entitled “Topical Bible Research” in the Bible Study Techniques section.  It was posted on August 15, 2021.