From Topics to Questions

Engaging Your Audience Topics can have large audiences E.g. demography topics Disciplines – sociology, geography, economics, anthropology, medicine, public health, political scientists Interest groups and policy makers Narrow the audience and convince them you have something new and interesting Offer a puzzle, paradox, hitherto unknown that should be known

Questions about audience Who will read this paper? What do they already know? What do they expect of me? Provide factual data Understand something better Solve a practical problem

Audience Expectations Who wants to read your study? What kind of evidence are they expecting? What will interest them about your study? What’s new about your study? What will we know after reading your study that we DIDN’T know before?

Questions about audience (cont.) How much can I expect them to know? Their knowledge level, their special interests Is the problem already recognized by them? Or not? How will readers respond to my solution or answer? Agree or disagree Need to see all the steps Need to see presentation in standard format

Topic and Question Topic Puzzle Question [this audience should be hooked at this slide]

Topics: Participant Example Topic from broad to narrow Community participation related to tobacco law 2 laws established B.E Nonsmokers Health Protection Act Prevention of smoking in public space Tobacco Products Control Act Prevention of sale to minors Community implementation or compliance with the law Awareness of the law and consequences of smoking Compliance with the law and smoking behavior

Why is this interesting? What is the puzzle? 2 laws passed more than 16 years ago, not effective in the community (rural) Evidence that merchants still sell to minors (previous research) Evidence that people still smoke in public spaces (previous research) From:

Topic to Question Take the interesting topic and turn it into a why or how question Q1: Why do people still break the tobacco laws, even after 16 years? Q2: How might people’s participation in a public campaign enhance their compliance with the law? Q3: How might a locally-based participatory intervention enhance people’s compliance with the law?

Topic to Question: Group Exercise Examining sample research articles in selected journals Identify topic – from broad to narrow What is the question? Why or how? Audience? Evidence Expectations?

COFFEE BREAK!!!!