Develop a Research Log 2 with Scholarly sources

Research Log 2: In RL2, you will develop your ideas and body of research from RL1 by documenting scholarly sources relevant to your updated/revised research question. In this unit, you will learn how to utilize database research to locate and read reliable peer-reviewed sources to narrow your focus.

Step 1: Research Scholarly Contributions to the Conversation

Investigate the Academic Conversation to learn how academics in your discipline engage with and advance the conversation on your issue, as well as to understand how your preliminary research question may transform as a result.
Revise and Refine Your Research Question
Carefully read relevant scholarly sources that help you improve your preliminary research question’s arguability and complexity
For example, an environmental studies student that began with a preliminary research question about stocking density’s impact on farmed animals might find academic consensus on the answer, in which case they might consider what new question that answer leads to, or they might dig deeper into the conversation to find other points of disagreement on the issue, other ways of approaching or specifying the issue, etc.
Step 2: Log Scholarly Sources that Contribute to Your Refined Question

Collect and Track Scholarly Sources
Keep track of search terms you use, useful sources you find, and new terms you learn.
Actively Read and Annotate Your Sources
identify new research needs or directions the source inspires, which may include corroborating certain information, finding alternative perspectives, etc.