Gen 103 Information Literacy: Writing Your Research Q 867782
Gen 103 Information Literacywriting Your Research Question Worksheet
Gen 103: Information Literacy Writing Your Research Question Worksheet: Now that you’ve chosen your research topic, done a bit of background research and brainstormed your ideas, you’re ready to write your research question. Your research question will direct the research that you do over the next few weeks as you look for sources for your annotated bibliography. Refer to Section 1.3 of your textbook to review the elements and purpose of a research question. You will begin developing your research question by filling in the table below.
Example of Research Question Development: The table below illustrates how a research question develops from a broad topic to a focused question.
Research Question Development: Example
| BROAD TOPIC | RESTRICTED TOPIC | NARROWED TOPIC | RESEARCH QUESTION |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pollution | Acid Rain | Acid Rain in the United States | What can we do in the United States to prevent acid rain? |
| Pollution | Oil Spills | Oil spills and commerce | What impact do oil spills have on the fishing and tourism businesses in areas affected? |
| Pollution | Pesticides | Pesticides and the bee population | What evidence is there that pesticides are significantly harming the bee population? |
| Pollution | Fracking (hydraulic fracturing) | Fracking and groundwater | What evidence is there that fracking can cause groundwater contamination? |
Develop Your Research Question
Now try out your topic ideas below using the information you brainstormed. Try out several variations of your topic idea to see how it could be improved or amended. The table below will expand as you enter content into the columns.
Research Question Development Table
| BROAD TOPIC | RESTRICTED TOPIC | NARROWED TOPIC | RESEARCH QUESTION |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Enter broad topic] | [Enter restricted topic] | [Enter narrowed topic] | [Enter your research question] |
The research question you choose should meet these criteria:
- It is open-ended (cannot be answered with a simple yes or no).
- It addresses an issue or controversy and/or aims to solve a problem.
- It is something on which you can take a stand.
Reflection
In the space below, explain what you learned about this process as you conducted background research and refined your topic. Describe the most difficult part of the process and how you found it challenging. Also, discuss what part of the process you found most helpful and why. Once complete, save your worksheet and return to the online classroom to submit this document through the “Assignment Submission” button.
Glossary
Annotated bibliography: A list of citations with descriptions and a brief summary or critical statement about each one.
Research question: The starting point for your research. This question should contain key terms or concepts related to your research topic (Soloman, Wilson, and Taylor, 2012).