Research Topic and Question worksheet
Prior to beginning this assignment,
- Read Module 1 in your course textbook.
- Watch the GEN103 Annotated Bibliography (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. and Picking Your Topic IS Research (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.videos.
- Review the Week 5 Annotated Bibliography Example, and the 4 Easy Steps to Using the Ashford Library for Background Research, Possible Topics for Research, and How to Ask an Open-Ended Question handouts.
- Download and review the Week 1 Research Topic and Question worksheet that you will complete and turn in for this assignment.
This week, you will develop a research question for your annotated bibliography:
- Choose a research topic.
- Explore your topic.
- Write your research question.
Choose a Research Topic
Choose a research topic related to your program or major. This topic will be used for all five weeks so choose one that interests you and for which two scholarly articles, one e-book , and two non-scholarly sources are available. Review the Possible Topics for Research handout if you need ideas. It is recommended that you review the GEN103 Week 1 Assignment example.
Provide a two to three sentence explanation of the research topic and how it is related to your major on the Week 1 Research Topic and Question worksheet.
Explore your Topic
On the Week 1 Assignment worksheet, fill in the KWHL chart to explore the research topic. Be sure to carefully follow the instructions on the worksheet. The 4 Easy Steps to Using the Ashford Library for Background Research is a helpful resource at this point.
Write Your Research Question
Write the first draft of your research question in the table at the bottom of the Week 1 Assignment worksheet. Your research question will help you focus your research by defining the information you are looking for as you research your topic.
Your research question must be:
- Open-ended (should begin with “how,” “why” or “what”)
- Clear
- Concise
- Detailed
The How to Ask an Open-Ended Question handout can help you formulate an open-ended question.
Next, it is recommended you use Tutor.com to help you refine your question. If you use the service, ask your tutor to review your draft question with regard to the criteria in the table. Bring your draft research question to the Tutoring on Demand session. When you have completed the worksheet, save it to your computer and then submit it to Waypoint for grading.
To make sure your submission is as strong as it can be, use Grammarly (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. to assist you in locating and correcting grammar and punctuation errors.
