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EMLS B1A: A Place to Stand: Developing a Research Question

To be used with Beth Rodacker's class

What Makes a Good Research Question?

A strong research question is the key to successful research. Good research is all about answering your question. In fact, your answer is ultimately going to be the thesis of your paper. Here are some general guidelines to follow:

  • Clear and focused: If it is too vague, it will be difficult to answer.
  • Narrow and specific: If it is too broad in scope, it will take too long to answer and will be impossible to fit in a paper.
  • Not too easy to answer: Try to stay away from yes or no questions. The answer to the question should not be obvious.  For example, consider this question: Is climate change bad? This question is obvious and lacks depth for a college paper. Your question should be about the how and why.
  • Not too difficult to answer: Consider your page limit and time. Complex questions might not be easy to answer in a short paper. For example, how do we solve climate change? That answer is way too complex, with lots of different aspects and considerations, to be taken in a short paper.  
  • Researchable: There has to be enough scholarship(sources) on the topic. If the topic is local, you may not be able to find enough sources. It's always a good idea to do some preliminary searching to see if there are plenty of sources. 
  • Require analysis (not description): Your question should be complex and most importantly, debatable. For example, take a question like, what is climate change? This question can be complex, but does not require analysis. The paper would consist of descriptions of climate change rather than an analysis. Instead, a better question would be: How has climate change influenced extreme weather patterns? 

Research Questions: Do's & Don'ts

Credit: William Badke

Forming a Research Question

Credit: Wilfrid Laurier University Library)

Developing a Thesis Statement

Thesis Statement=your answer to your essential(research) question; your position on the topic; the main idea of the paper

A well-written thesis statement has two parts:

1.The answer to your essential (research) question (your position).
2.Your reasons (supporting arguments). 

EXAMPLE:

My essential (research) question=  Should smoking be banned in public places?