To help everyone get started with research, we’re going to use this series of timed writing prompts. If you you’re not sure about your topic or research question, you can always spend more time working through a step.

When you’re done, share your work in a comment below. You might want to keep notes in a document and paste your work into a comment when you’re finished.

In class on Tuesday, we’re going to spend some time evaluating your sources and writing annotations, so please do come prepared with your list of sources that you’ve begun to review already (even if you haven’t read them all fully).

KWL Process Worksheet:

  1. K- KNOW: Set your timer for five minutes.  Write that whole time.  It is important that you don’t pause here, so if you are stuck, write “I’m stuck!” But just keep typing.  Write down everything you can about what you KNOW about this topic or question.
  2. W-WANT:  Set your timer for another five minutes.  Same thing– you’ll write that whole time.  This time, write what you WANT to know about the topic.
  3. R-RESEARCH: Here is where you do a little bit of research.  Again, time yourself– spend 10-15 minutes on searching your topic on the internet and, if you’re interested, library databases. Make a list links and titles of 5-10 sources you would consider using.  
  4. L-LEARNED: Another five minutes.  Again, write the whole time.  Write what you LEARNED from your 10-15 minutes of preliminary research.  Cite where necessary. 
  5. S-STILL WANT TO KNOW: Another five minutes.  After doing very basic internet research, what are some questions about your topic that you still want to know? It’s okay if your issue has changed a little bit.  Try to come up with (1) a list of questions you still need to research; and (2) a list of additional sources you can consult, including people you can reach out to and possibly interview (by email, phone, or video conference). (Tip: avoid yes or no questions because they won’t help you get far enough)
  6. Look at what you have written and revise/refine on your overall research question. You can use the City Tech Library’s Guide to Developing a Research Question to help you narrow down and finalize your research question.