create a research question in order to address your research topic (Section 3)
The best assignments or presentations at university level always need
careful planning!
1. Analyze what you have been asked to do
ACTIVITY - Consider the following research topic*:
ACTIVITY - Now it's your turn!
Print off this planning sheet, and complete it using YOUR assignment question. Keep this planning sheet in a folder as the start of your research,
and keep collecting!
2. Focus your research topic
Usually students think of broad ideas when picking a research topic. You can focus or fine tune your research topic to make your research more specific. This can be done by limiting your research by time, culture, specific population group, geographic area, subject discipline etc.
Look at the example below to help you:
Example:
General Topic: Reading
Narrowed Topic: Reading Habits
More Specific Topic: Youths Reading Habits
Even More Specific: Reading Habits of Youths in UAE
You can also broaden your research topic when the topic is so narrow that you fail to get sufficient resources.
Tip: Follow this link to Infoasis Module 1 for more about defining and focusing a research topic.
ACTIVITY - Narrow down a research topic
Use two of the following ideas and narrow them one at a time into a specific research topic:
Tourism
Career
Transportation
Alternatively you can use your research project topic and narrow it down, like the examples given above.
Once you have identified key ideas, you can use the ideas to ask yourself a question: What do you want to find out?
A research question guides your research. It helps you read and/or review resources to find answers.
Use the following words to guide you:
What
When
How
Where
Make sure your question cannot be answered by YES or NO, but requires an explanation or description instead.
*Queensland University of Technology (QUT) was kind enough to give permission for us to use their idea for this flash animation on breaking down the research topic.
