Developing a Research QuestionPLAN AHEAD TO SAVE TIME AND EFFORT

Choosing a topic1. Choose a topic that interests you. -

"e.g., something about pollution"2. Be a little more specific about your

topic. - "e.g., water pollution"3. Be a lot more specific about your

topic. - "e.g., “causes of water pollution”

Narrowing a Topic Use the topic that was selected using the “Choosing a Topic” process.

You may need a little research for this one! 1) Make one or two more words more specific to make the

topic as precise and as specific as possible. Example: " Industrial waste and water pollution.”

2) Add a few words to make the topic more specific and turn the topic into a complete sentence. Chemicals and metals in industrial waste cause of water pollution

3) Create a claim statement that can be argued and supported.

Example: Water pollution from industrial dumping of chemicals and metals harms marine life and can cause cancer in humans.

Research QuestionsDevelop research questions. These questions:determine where and what kind of research you

will look for. identifies the specific topics the paper will address.keep your paper focused so that the topic is

neither too broad nor too narrow.

Assignment Choosing a Topic

Choose two topics in which you might be interested. Find three websites, articles, books, etc., on each topic to

determine that there is information on that topic. Write down a citation that gives source information.

Research Questions Choose one of the topics researched as your working thesis. Complete the questioning worksheet to determine what you want

to discover next.