Anatomy of a research paper:

Developing a research question, finding potential sources

Summary: Narrow your area of interest to a specific question and identify potential sources.

Goals:

• Consider how to frame a research question.
• Practice using the library catalog and databases to identify potential sources.

Due: Monday, October 13, 5 p.m.

Assignment

There are three parts to this assignment; please read the entire assignment before you begin. I expect you will probably need to work iteratively on all three parts rather than completing them in the order they are listed. Indeed, you have already started work on part B: identifying potential sources.

Part A: Research question

The Research Room (http://www.esc.edu/esconline/across_esc/writerscomplex.nsf/wholeshortlinks2/Research+Room+Menu) includes a one-page tutorial on developing a research question. Please work through this tutorial.

Based on your initial topic, the sources you've been able to find so far, and what you learned from the tutorial above, write a research question for your project.

Please talk with me if you are having difficulty coming up with a question or are not sure whether your question is appropriate.

Part B: Potential sources

Provide a list in APA citation style of sources you might use to address your research question. I encourage you to use RefWorks as a tool to help format the list of potential sources. Please note how you found each source (Google, library catalog, Academic Search Premier, reference from another source, etc.).

You do not need to carefully read or evaluate these sources; just give me a list. The next assignment, the annotated bibliography, will require you to examine your potential sources more closely.

You should aim for at least five good potential sources: at least one book, two journal articles, and two online resources. If you are having difficulty finding enough sources, please come talk with me about how to proceed.

I encourage you to list up to fifteen or so potential sources if you find fertile searching ground. If you find many more than that and are having difficulty choosing, you may need to narrow the focus of your research question. Please come talk with me if it's not clear how to proceed.

Part C: Reflection

For each prompt below, write a short paragraph in response. Each paragraph should use standard spelling and grammar and include a topic sentence that rephrases some aspect(s) of the prompt.

1. Referring to the Research Room tutorial cited above, evaluate your research question. You might address some of the following questions: What makes your question a good research question? What challenges might you face in researching this question? Did you change your question in response to the sources you found, and if so, why?

2. Describe the process of finding potential sources. You might address some of the following questions: What search terms did you use? How did you choose them? Did you change strategies in response to search results? Did you work with a librarian?

3. Which method of searching (library catalog, database, web search) did you initially expect to be most fruitful? Why? Is this what actually happened?

What to turn in

1. Your research question from part A.
2. Your responses to the questions in part C. Please number your responses and remember to write complete paragraphs with topic sentences.
3. Your list of potential sources from part B, in APA citation style, starting on a new page.

Be sure to put your name and a title on the assignment and to acknowledge any help you received.

Please use at least 1" margins, 1.5- or double-spacing, and a 10-12 point font. I encourage you to save paper by printing on both sides. 

Print your document and bring it to my office by 5 p.m. on Monday, October 13.

Evaluation

I will evaluate your assignment on the clarity and "researchability" of your research question, whether you have identified an appropriate range of sources for your question, whether you have given a correct list of references for those sources, and the clarity and thoughtfulness of your reflections.

Janet Davis (davisjan@cs.grinnell.edu)