At the reference desk, librarians engage in an often predictable sequence of instruction with students that centers on assisting students with focusing their topics before they can move to the information collection stage. It is an area of instruction that is often taken for granted and that most faculty are unaware of, but it is critical for successful student research papers. The author summarizes some of the strategies librarians use to assist students in focusing their topics and some suggestions for teaching faculty on how to build topic focus strategies into their research assignments.