Part 2 of the tutorial consists of 3 sections (A, B & C) containing readings, videos and questions. First read through the information and watch the videos on pages 2.A, 2.B, and 2. C. When finished take the quiz at the end of section C. The content in these sections is best followed from top-to-bottom beginning with the left column.
2. A. Understanding & Defining Your Topic
2. B. Focusing Your Topic
2. C. Research Questions
After completing this part of the tutorial students will be able to:
The content in these sections is best followed from top-to-bottom beginning with the left column.
CC by Ian Wilson
The research process is not linear. As you begin your research and develop your topic, you will encounter new information that will create new questions. This is a normal part of the process.
Your research question will guide your research, determining what type of sources you need, and the concepts you need to explore. Your question may change as you discover new aspects of your topic, and you may need to repeat parts of the research cycle.
A good research question will direct your research, and give you your thesis statement. Often your thesis statement will be an answer or response to your question.
A manageable research question could be:
This question can be broken down into a few main concepts.
Begin by researching each concept individually to come up with alternative search terminology. Then combine these concepts and keywords to build your search strategy.
These keywords can be arranged in a variety of ways to access resources in our databases and online. For example, I could enter some of the following search strings to find information about my topic:
Each of these search examples would give you different results.
As you find new information about your topic, take note of the terminology used to describe your topic, and incorporate these terms into your search strategy.
Your research question will help you identify your concepts and search terms. It will also help you determine where to start your search.
Take a look at the research question:
What kind of information do I need to find to answer this?
After reading through the content of the pages in this section and watching the videos, take the quiz to test your understanding. Please Note: If you are taking this for a class, and accessed it through Blackboard, return to blackboard and take the Quiz in Blackboard.
