RQ and Searching the sources

Developing Research Questions

Your research questions are important because they help direct you to meaningful information and ideas about your topic. Brainstorm the list of questions.

Ask a primary question about your topic- the main issue that you want to get at. Then brainstorm secondary questions that you need to research in order to answer your primary question.

Primary Question: What are the primary causes of childhood obesity?

Secondary Questions (who, what, when, where, why, how):

Who experiences childhood obesity (specific socioeconomic groups)?
What constitutes childhood obesity (medical definition)? What factors contribute to the condition? What are the consequences for children, families, and society?

When did the childhood obesity trend begin? When did it gain attention?

Where does this obesity happen (particular areas, regions, both urban and rural)?
Why is childhood obesity increasing? Why is it a problem? (Is it problem?)

How has the problem been addressed so far?

Focus on your project: Once you have brainstormed a list of secondary questions, revisit and test your primary (main) research question:

Is the question so narrow that I won’t be able to find sources? Is the question so simple that it will be easy to answer? Can the question be answered simply by going to a reference work?

Does the question lead to significant sources, intellectual challenge, and more questions?
€ Am I committed to answering this question? Does it interest me? Will the question and answer interest my readers? 

My Research Project: Draft a Position Statement

A thesis statement should call your readers' attention to a specific aspect of the conversation you've decided to join. Ideally, your thesis statement should encourage your readers to learn something new, change their attitudes or beliefs, or take a specific action. This activity helps you develop a thesis statement that is well suited to your research writing situation. In your research log, complete the following activity to draft your position statement.

1.      Write your current research question.

2.      Brainstorm or freewrite in response to your research question.

3.      Select the response that best reflects your current understanding of the conversation you have decided to join. If appropriate, combine responses into one position statement.

4.      Write your position statement.

Use Your Research Question to Generate Search Terms (p.71)

To generate keywords for your searches, review your research question, position statement, thesis statement, and working bibliography and highlight important words and phrases, the names of important authors, and titles of important sources. If you want to generate additional search terms, use brainstorming, freewriting, looping, or clustering to do so. Highlight important words and phrases in what you write and add them to your list.