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WRITING A RESEARCH QUESTION

WRITING A RESEARCH QUESTION. What is a research question?. a clear , focused, concise, complex and arguable  question around which you center your research. Why is it important?. focused research by providing a path for research

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WRITING A RESEARCH QUESTION

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  1. WRITING A RESEARCH QUESTION

  2. What is a research question? • a clear, focused, concise, complex and arguable question around which you center your research

  3. Why is it important? • focused research by providing a path for research • a well-developed research question helps writers avoidthe plot summary/narrative/biography/book report paper • work toward supporting a specific, arguable thesis

  4. characteristics • works best if it’s not“yes/no” • most cases: begins with “how” • should NOT begin with “which,” “how much” or “how many”

  5. step 1 • Choose an interesting general topic. • An example of a general topic might be “Slavery in the American South” or “Films of the 1930s.”

  6. step 2 • Do some preliminary research on your general topic. • Do a few quick searches in databases • Infotracand SIRS Researcher are great • What’s already been done and to help you narrow your focus. What questions does this early research raise?

  7. step 3 • Start asking questions. • ask yourself open-ended “how” and “why” questions about your general topic. • For example, “How did the slave trade evolve in the 1850s in the American South?” or “Why were slave narratives effective tools in working toward the abolishment of slavery?”

  8. How is your question? • Is it clear? • Is it focused? • Is it complex? It should NOT be answerable with a simple “yes” or “no” or easily found facts. It should require both research and analysis.

  9. How is this question? • Why are social networking sites harmful? • How are online users experiencing or addressing privacy issues on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter?

  10. How is this question? • What is the effect of global warming on the environment? • How does glacial warming affect penguins in Antarctica?

  11. example of world history question • Did the Allies commit a war crime by firebombing Dresden or was the bombing a justified military tactic in terms of planning, choice of targets, and military significance of Dresden?

  12. practice! • Write a research question using a book you’ve read (or are reading) in English class. • Catcher in the Rye • Lord of the Flies • The Crucible • Into the Wild • Romeo and Juliet • Ethan Frome

  13. sources: • The Writing Center, George Mason University, 2009 • Vanessa Fong, Introduction to Qualitative Research, Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2011

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