step 2, develop topic, of 6 step research process Now that you’ve identified a general topic area, it’s time to develop it into a research question. Your background research should help with this step- consider questions you have about your topic that you’d like to explore. All research starts with a question!

Topic

The subject or theme you will explore for your research (i.e. “climate change and polar bears”)

Research question

What you are focusing on in regards to your topic (i.e. “How is climate change impacting the dietary habits of polar bears?”)

How do I develop a focused topic?

In order to create an effective argument, you will need to focus on a specific aspect of your topic. Usually you will find that your topic starts out very broad ("alternative energy") and you'll need to narrow it down (perhaps to a specific alternative energy source like wind, solar, renewables, hydropower, etc.). Always pay attention to your instructor's guidance and assignment requirements while developing a research question.

The following video from Western Kentucky University provides a quick overview to developing a research question:

Tip: Think back to your background research. Which aspects of your general topic stood out to you? What questions do you want to answer with your research?

It may also be useful to make a mind map or concept map, like the one shown here, to visualize how topics and subtopics are related.

This example below is on an Earthquake event and is not about a usual argumentative research topic.

mind-map about earthquake with the subcategories volunteer help, emergency preparation, and related hazards created with www.bubble.us

Learn about specific terms used in this tutorial on the Definition of Terms page.

Creating a research question

Ideally, you want your question to answer “So what?” to ensure it has relevance. Filling in the blanks below can help you focus your preliminary research and questions. (This is not your thesis statement- you won’t develop that until after you’ve done your research.)

1. I am researching ______________________________________ (topic)
2. because I want to find out ______________________________(issue/question)
3. in order to ________________________________ (application - So What?)

Example:

I am researching solar power

because I want to evaluate the pros and cons of its use

in order to show whether or not it is a cost effective method to produce power

Your turn! Write a research question

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Video Information

This video is part of a series created for students enrolled in a ENG 102 course at NKU.

-- Created using PowToon

This video is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...

The script for this tutorial is available here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10...

License

Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)