Evaluate Your Research Question
When deciding your research question think about:
- What type of information do I need to answer this question?
- What sources have the information that I am looking for?
- Where can I find these source and can I access them?
A Quick Guide to Developing a Research Question
1. Pick a topic
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2. Narrow the topic
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3. List some questions
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4. Pick a question
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5. Focus the question
- Search Strategy WorksheetUse this worksheet to brainstorm keyword ideas - this makes your question more focussed but also more inclusive.
Research as Inquiry
When choosing a research question consider:
- Are you interested?
- Is it relevant?
- Is it important?
Next,
Gather background research on a topic of your choice.
Frame it:
- What is the discussion on your topic?
- What do you already know?
- What needs to be explored further?
Consider:
- Is the question too broad or narrow?
- Can it be answered?
Choosing an Essay Topic
This video describes how to come up with a research topic, or research question, for an essay. (2:32)
Choosing Keywords
This video explains how to choose keywords for database searching when doing research. (2:43)
