Learn to brainstorm a topic, then develop your topic into a research question.

1. Develop Topic

2. Learn to narrow your topic and
create a research question.

3. After analyzing your assignment
begin to brainstorm a topic.

4. There are many ways to
brainstorm.

5. Take notes, talk it out, go for a
walk, make a chart or use post-its.

6. The important thing is to be able to
review and revisit your ideas.

7. Your topic will continue to change,
so be open to new ideas.

8. Pay attention to what interests you most.
Look for connections between ideas.

9. A good topic is interesting to you, makes
new connections and is just the right
scope.

10. A topic is a broad idea

11. like sustainable agriculture

12. while a research question is a
question with no simple answer.

13. A good research question will
be arguable, clear, and concise,
yet complex.

14. Watch out for questions that
could have a simple yes/no
answer.

15. If you are interested in the topic of
sustainable agriculture, you need
to narrow it down.

16. What part of sustainable agriculture
are you interested in?

17. To answer this, often you need do
some research.

18. Your sources will discuss more
narrow aspects of the topic.

19. And potentially raise some
questions for you.

20. Narrow your topic

21. Perhaps you decide to focus
on compost and how it is
used.

22. This isn’t a bad start, but you could
narrow it even more

23. Perhaps you focus on one
specific use of compost.

24. Compost has several uses. You
start to get interested in how it
can be used for heat extraction.

25. This topic is probably narrow
enough now.

26. Next, let’s turn this narrowed topic
into a research question.

27. Again, your research question
should be open-ended and
complex, yet also clear and
focused.

28. What about how compost is used
for heat extraction interests you?

29. You don’t want to simply write
about how compost is used for
heat extraction. There needs to be
more of an issue.

30. Your sources talk about the
benefits of using compost for heat
extraction. But farmers are still
reluctant to adopt this practice.
This gets you thinking.

31. After more thinking and research
you decide to ask:

32. To what extent do the benefits of
compost heat extraction outweigh
the barriers for small farms?

33. This question is focused enough
and specific, but not so narrow
that you only find a few sources.

34. Now you have developed your
topic into a research question.

35. You already started some research
to narrow your topic and to create
a research question.

36. Next you will look for sources that
will really allow you to address
your research question.

37. Look for high-quality sources that
present reliable, expert
information.

38. Be open to sources that have
different perspectives than you
and your favorite sources. This
adds depth, complexity, and gives
you something to counter.

39. For some questions you may also
bring in less credible sources as a
way show and refute alternative
perspectives.

40. To great sources, use a variety of
tools, like the library, OneSearch,
databases, Google Scholar and
other appropriate online tools.