Narrowing Your Research Question

Overview

Purpose

To strengthen and narrow possible research topics into a research question.
Task

Review Lesson 2: Narrowing a Topic
List two or more possible topics or questions from your Questions Log that seem like good candidates for your informational research paper.

Under each topic or question, write a list of ten additional, more specific questions you want answered about the topic or question.
After the lists of questions, consider which topic is more promising for an informational research paper and choose one.

Think about how the ten extra questions helped you narrow or focus the scope of your research question.

Then, in one or two sentences, write a first draft of your proposed research question. This is the primary question your informational paper will attempt to answer.

Respond to two peers and weigh in on whether you feel their research question is narrow enough, too narrow, researchable, and clear. Offer suggestions for possible revisions to improve the research question.