The Research ProcessFROM TOPIC TO QUESTION

Why research? The best research comes from a need

to know. The best research has as its purpose

enhanced understanding. The best research begins with a careful,

detailed process of developing a valid, researchable question that YOU need to answer.

EE – a reminder:

Emphasis is placed on the research process:formulating an appropriate research questionengaging in a personal exploration of the topiccommunicating ideasdeveloping an argument.

Participation in this process develops the capacity to:analysesynthesize, andevaluate knowledge.

The extended essay is an independent, self-directed piece of research, culminating in a 4,000-word paper.

http://www.ibo.org/diploma/curriculum/core/essay/

Topic A topic is a general subject or area that you may want to investigate. A topic is phrased as a word (e.g. “white lies”) or, better, as a sentence fragment (e.g. “gender and the practice of telling white lies”). Write your general topic as a sentence fragment: ___________________. Topic as words:

• “White lies”• Stories of the Alamo• Multicultural literature

Topic as fragment: • gender and the telling

of white lies• Stories of the Alamo

from the US and Mexico• Multicultural literature

and empathy

Where do you get a topic? Read newspapers Read magazines Write down your interests and hobbies Talk to friends Watch tv, movies, ads. Think critically about what you see, always asking

“why?”Hint: For the next three days, keep a record of the “why”

questions you have about everyday occurrences, issues in the news, gossip heard at lunch. Potential research topics are all around you.

From a broad topic to a narrow one

After you have chosen a subject that interests you, you will need to narrow your focus. Your topic is too broad if you can state it in four or five words.

Add modifying words or phrases to your broad topic to make it narrower.

Example: “The effect of gender on the nature of lies told in romantic relationships.”

Example: The effect of multicultural literature on high school students’ capacity for empathy .

Getting specific

Beginning researchers:

Have a topic Gather

information about the topic

Present the information in a coherent, organized paper.

Thesis examples: 1. Studies show that

men and women tell white lies for different reasons in different situations.

2. The teaching of multicultural literature to high school students results in a capacity for empathy for others.

Getting specificIntermediate researchers:

Have a topic that poses a researchable question

Gather information about that topic

Present the information in a coherent form that answers the proposed research question.

Sample questions:•How do three key battle scenes in Tolstoy’s War and Peace articulate the conflict between free will and historical determinism?•Why do men and women exhibit different physical characteristics in the telling of a lie?

From narrowed topic to question

To get from a narrowed topic to a researchable question, engage in a process known as “questioning your topic.”

During this process ask yourself four categories of questions about your topic.

1. What are the parts of your topic?2. What larger history is your topic part of?3. What are the categories of your topic?4. What is the importance of your topic?

1. What are the parts? Question your topic in a way that analyzes

its components and the relationships between them. What are the parts of a lie?What are the parts of a white lie? What are the parts of body language?What kinds of body language occur

during which kinds of lies?

What history is your topic a part of?

Question your topic in a way that treats it as a dynamic entity that changes throughout time. Has the body language associated with lying

changed as a result of the feminist movement? What are early literary examples of lying? How was lying (esp. the white lie) understood

by philosophers? Theologians? How is it understood today?

Has anyone ever quantified the nature of the changes?

What are the categories of your topic? Question your topic in a way that defines its

range of variation, how instances of it are alike and different from one another. Are some white lies more damaging than

others? What kinds of white lies exist? What branch of philosophy or theology deals

with lying? What are the most typical kinds of white lies?

What is the importance of your topic? Question your topic in regard to the value of its

uses. How have white lies helped people? How have

white lies harmed people? What is the social/psychological use of lying? What are the political uses of lying?

Review and Arrange Answers

Write at least one page of questions. Read over your questions. Separate into

groups of “who,” “what,” “where” questions and groups of “how” and “why” questions.

Consider the “how” and “why” questions. Which ones spark your interest? Cause you to pause? This questions is your narrowed research question.

From Question to Significance

Once you have a question that you’d like to answer, the next step is to add the crucial “so what?” This is called “motivating the question.”

Even skilled researchers often cannot answer this question until they are into the research process, but it doesn’t hurt to formulate the “so what” part of the research now.

Three steps to refining the question

1. Name your topic:I am studying the role of gender difference in the telling of white lies.

Fill in the blank with a phrase:I am studying _______________________.

Hint: Tell people about your projectAt this stage of your research it pays to articulate the object of your study as clearly and to as many people as possible. The more often you say it to yourself and others, the more opportunities you will have to clarify and refine your statement. Not only that, but they might have the perfect source for you.

Three steps to refining the question

2. Suggest your motivation I am studying the role of gender in the

telling of white lies because I want to know whether and how gender difference impacts the social purposes of the white lie.

Adding a “because” to your statement gets the motivation into your statement. It helps you remember and articulate exactly what you want to achieve through your research.

Three steps to refining your question

3. Place your research in a larger context of understanding.a. I am studying the role of gender differences in the telling of white lies

b. because I want to know whether and how gender impacts the social purpose of the white lie

c. in order to understand more about the relative ethics of our culture.

The third step

Step three is the hardest part. Many times, professional researchers

fail to answer this critical question. You may not KNOW the answer until

well into the research process. Trying to answer it now may give you

some guidance for future research decisions.

Be patient. Return to this step often to see whether you are closer to understanding your purpose.

Suddenly your topic is everywhere!

Have you ever had the experience of never noticing the number of green Mini Cooper on the road until you decide that you want a green Mini Cooper? This is the purpose of your next research step. Notice your topic. Find the following:

A magazine that has an article/articles about your topic A film about your topic News articles about your topic People who have information about your topic