What makes a research question strong?
- It is interesting to YOU!
- It is related to the course.
- It is well defined/scoped out (not too narrow, not too broad).
- You have verified that there is enough credible information on the topic to support your research.
Finding a topic
- List your interests and connect them with your course.
- Scan the textbook or other readings and explore a topic further or from a different angle.
- Browse the table of contents and abstracts of scholarly journals.
- Mix your course with another field you are familiar with (ex: American Civil Rights movement and music).
- Brainstorm and discuss with your classmates and professor.
Scoping your topic – Narrowing or broadening
You will need to narrow or broaden your research question to make sure you have enough supporting information to write an essay that fits with the requirements. Make sure you understand the assignment's guidelines and talk to your professor if you are unsure! You can begin to narrow your topic by exploring some of the following areas:
- Geographical context (where: a country, a region)
- Timeline (a specific period, year, or group of dates)
- Population group (limit by age, sex, race, occupation, or ethnic group)
Using a broad topic, your research question might:
- Ask how or why an event happened
- Ask what the consequences were of a particular event
- Discuss the intellectual origins of an idea
- Ask what the cultural context of an event was
- Ask whether or not an individual was responsible for a certain act
- Ask about the social history of a political event
- Quantify broader trends in a society at a particular time
Here is an example of applying these strategies to the topic of religion and Vikings and narrowing it down to something more manageable:
- Group: berserkers
- Region: Scandinavia
- Discuss intellectual origins of an idea
Now: How did the Christianization of Scandinavia change the perception of Viking berserkers?
How and why to test your topic right from the start?
- Why? Make sure there is enough background information and that research on the broad topic has been done before.
- How? Write down a few keywords and their synonyms. Conduct preliminary research in the catalog or in a database.
Adjusting
Once you start testing your research question, you might find that you narrowed it down too much. If that’s the case, you can use opposite strategies or remove one component to broaden it.
Example of broadening the research question above:
How did religion change the Vikings' perception of berserkers? (Removed: Christianity + Scandinavia)
Start your research!
Let your research question evolve naturally as you research.
