Organizing the Research Process Writing a research question and research outline to guide your work.

Step 1: Identifying Your Goals Ask yourself THREE QUESTIONS: What do I know about my topic? What do I want to know about my topic? What does my audience need to know about my topic?

Step 2: Writing a Research Question. Create a question that you can answer through your research that will allow you to examine the past and the present situation so that you can propose a solution for the future. The answer to this question should be a thesis statement. Meaning that it is arguable, provable and debatable.

Research Question Examples How is the Taliban’s influence in Pakistan impacting the lives of those who live there and how can/should the world eliminate extremist organizations such as the Taliban? In what ways are long term effects of the Rwandan genocide continuing to impact the people of the Great Lakes Region of Africa? What can be done to minimize any negative effects? In what ways are Colorado’s new marijuana laws a reflection of the ongoing tension between state and federal rights in the U.S.? How should the government address these tensions? How do the SSHS graduation requirements limit the rights of students and what can be done to ensure that all students are able to best prepare for their futures? What lessons can be learned from __________________ that can be applied to the situation in __________________ in order to end the injustices taking place there?

Step 3: Identifying Subtopics Make a list of subtopics that you will need to cover in your research and writing. Identify 4-6 of these. Hints: Do not write these as questions. Keep these fairly simple, but not so generic that we can’t identify your topic when looking at your subtopics. Look ahead to your outline and essay. Think of these as main ideas for the individual paragraphs you will develop, which will be labeled with Roman Numerals on your outline.

Practice: Write 4-7 subtopics using the following research question. How is the Taliban’s influence in Pakistan impacting the lives of those who live there and how can/should the world eliminate extremist organizations such as the Taliban?

Step 4: Focus Questions Create questions that you will need to answer in order to fully understand your subtopics. These should help you focus on gathering information that is relevant to your overall goal. Write 7-10 of these. Hint: Avoid leading questions (questions that lead you toward particular information). Allow your research to take you in new directions and to information from multiple perspectives. Example: How did the Hutus destroy the government of Rwanda? What governmental and political changes occurred after the Rwandan genocide?

Re-Cap: What will the Research Outline include? An MLA heading. An MLA header. A title. This should include your topic, in one or two words, followed by a colon and the words Research Outline. (Rwandan Genocide: Research Outline) Your Research Question. 4-7 Subtopics. 7-10 Focus Questions. Make sure that ALL of your subtopics will be explained through these questions.

What will the Research Outline look like? Go to Ms. Erickson’s web page. Choose WHISL. Click on the Peace and Justice Symposium icon. Select the Documents and Paperwork option. Find the Sample Research Outline. Download the document. Format yours in EXACTLY the same way.

General Tips and Suggestions Cite every source you consult immediately! Create a system for keeping track of your research. Some options are: Notecards (highly suggested by last year’s students) Online notecards/programs, such as Moodle or Easy Bib Outline notes (like we have practiced this year) Print/Annotate/Summarize/Reflect Cutting and pasting information onto a Word document without any organization, summarization or reflection IS NOT EFFECTIVELY DOCUMENTING YOUR RESEARCH!

More General Suggestions Be open minded. Follow your research. You may be surprised at what you find! Create a note-taking system for yourself. See a teacher for help ASAP if you need help! Get organized. Get a folder, binder or designated section in your binder set up for this project ASAP. Create a folder in your electronic files for this project. Look at all our comments on EVERY assignment before and while completing the next assignment. Use your calendar. Stay on time!

Final Reminder: Don’t forget that your research needs to look at the past, present and future of your topic.