5.4: Analyzing a Research Question
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Every research paper starts with a prompt or research question upon which the rest of your essay will be based. The main goal of this assignment is to answer the research question; that’s it! There are two main parts to the research question:
- The topic: usually a noun or noun phrase, this will tell you what you should generally write about
- The organizational focus: usually key words or phrases, this will tell you how you should organize your essay, what genre it will be, and what kind of information to look for in your research
Example Research Question:
Why does climate change occur?
The topic would be "climate change" and the organizational focus is "why;" therefore, you would look for information about and organize your essay around the causes of climate change.
A. Types of Organizational Focus
There are many different ways to approach a given topic, which is why the organizational focus is included in the research question: to narrow the scope of your search. Think of organizational focus as the organizational pattern of your own text: the focus of a research question points you towards the specific aspect of your topic that you are going to argue and develop throughout your paper. The different types of focus you may encounter look very similar to the organizational patterns we’ve been discussing so far.
|l|l| &
| Argument - "should"" **usually a yes/no |
| question |
&
| Should the government or private industries |
| be responsible for solving climate change? |
Cause - "why," "reasons" & Why does climate change occur?
| Effect - "effect," "consequence," "impact," |
| "result" |
& What is the impact of climate change?
| Problem and Solution - "problem," |
| "solution," "issue" |
&
| How can we solve climate change? |
| What are different problems connected to |
| climate change? |
| Pro/Con - "advantage," "disadvantage, |
| "positive" |
&
| What are the advantages of solving climate |
| change to developing countries? |
|l|l|
| Comparison - "similar," "different," |
| "compare" |
&
| Compare the effects of climate change on |
| coastal regions and desert regions. |
Definition - "define," "in other words" & Describe the signs of climate change.
Process - "steps," "how," "process" & What are the stages of climate change?
Just like organizational patterns for summary/response essays, organizational focuses can be mixed in a research question to inspire a more complex response.
PRACTICE 1: Identifying Organizational Focus
For the research questions that follow, identify the topic and organizational focus.
Research Question 1: How do expectations about studying abroad differ from reality?
Topic:
Organizational focus:
Research Question 2: What effect does meditation have on a student’s mental health?
Topic:
Organizational focus:
Research Question 3: Should governments provide a Universal Basic Income (a salary for all citizens, even those who do not work) for all of its citizens?
Topic:
Organizational focus:
PRACTICE 2: Analyzing Research Questions
Write or copy/paste your two research questions below. Then identify the topic and the organizational focus of each.
Research question option A:
Topic:
Organizational focus:
Research question option B:
Topic:
Organizational focus:
Assignment: Choose your research question. Copy/paste it into your Outline.