Developing Your Research Question and Proposal
How can I develop my research question?
Step 1: Reflect on my writing situation. What has changed about what I want to accomplish with my writing project? Have I changed the role I want to adopt? What have I learned about my readers? What kind of sources would be best to rely on as I carry out my project? What kind of document do I think I will write? What new opportunities and limitations will affect my work on my document? How have my biases affected my ability to learn about the issue I will be addressing in my project?
Step 2: Generate potential research questions.
Information- what is known/ unknown?
History- What has occurred in the past that is relevant?
Assumptions- What conclusions have writers and readers made?
Goals- What do writers and reader want to see happen?
Outcomes- What has happened so far?
Policies- What are the best procedures for carrying out actions?
Questions can lead me to engage in the following kinds of thinking processes.
Definition- Describing specific aspects of an issue.
Evaluation- Asking about strengths and weaknesses.
Comparison/Contrast- Asking about distinctions between aspects of an issue.
Cause/Effect Analysis- Asking what leads to a specific result.
Problem/Solution Analysis or Advocacy- Defining problems, considering outcomes of a problem, assessing potential solutions, and/or offering solutions.
Sequential Analysis- Asking about step by step series of events.
Inquiry- Seeking new information; conducting original search.
Reporting- Conveying what is known about an event, idea, or phenomenon.
Step 3: Craft questions that reflect my writing situation. Review list of potential research questions. Identify those that interest me most. Which of the questions seem most likely to help me accomplish my purpose and address the needs of the readers? Ask the questions to conduct analysis. Who, what, where, when, how, why, could, would, and should. Highlight promising research questions then choose one that encompasses my interests.
Step 4: Refer to shared assumptions and existing conditions. Narrow the scope of my research question. Conduct preliminary searches.
How can I create a research proposal?
Identify my topic, issue, and research question. Provide a review of literature. Explain how I will collect information, identify relevant types of sources, and appropriate search tools and research methods. Develop a project timeline. Compile a working or annotated bibliography. Clarify and elaborate on my core proposal including an abstract, overview of key challenges, and a funding request and rationale.
Create a research proposal.
1. Provide the working title for my project.
2. Describe my issue.
3. Describe my purpose for working on this project.
4. Describe my readers needs, interests, values, and beliefs.
5. State my research question.
6. Briefly review key findings about my issue from the sources I found as I explored my topic.
7. Indicate how I will locate additional information, ideas, and arguments about my issue.
8. Include my project timeline.
9. Include my working bibliography.
10. Discuss key challenges I face.
11. Identify specific funding requests.
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