Week 9: Developing the Research Question

Amber sparkler flame swirled to spell a word, possibly MEME?
“Sparkler Writing” by David Joyce via Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0


For Monday, 10/24 (asynchronous, work due on our class site by 11:59 pm)

  • Return to the various brainstorming activities we did for Unit 2 topics and pick the topic you think is the most interesting 
  • Review the presentation “What Is Research?” by Prof. Carrie Hall.
  • Complete the following KWL Process or this Research Question Worksheet. Pick the one you like best.

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 library databases.   
  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 sources you can consult, including people you can reach out to and possibly interview (by email, phone, or video conference). (Hint: NO yes or no questions)
  6. Look at what you have written and decide 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.

  • Write a post that includes a draft of your research question followed by a paragraph (approximately 300 words) explaining the following:
    • How or why you got interested in your question.
    • What you expect to find out in your research. In other words, what answers do you expect to get to your research question?
  • Before publishing your post, make sure you do the following:
    • Title it “Research Question”
    • Pick the category “Unit 2 Work”
    • Then publish the post


For Wednesday, 10/26 (in-person session at City Tech)

  • Print or digitally download one source related to your research question. Bring this source to class.