What should students ask when starting a research paper?

• What am I trying to find out?
• What kind of sources do I need to consult?
• Secondary?  Primary?
• Why should student seek multiple perspectives while gathering information?
• What if research takes you down an unexpected path?
• What if you are struggling with your research paper?

Source:   Eisen, A. [University of Washington Libraries] (2014, June 13). Research 101: Research is a Process [Video file]. Retrieved from http://guides.lib.uw.edu/research/UWresearch101/   CC BY-NC 4.0

A. Get background information.

• What’s unresolved?
• What can I add?

B. Consider these three questions:

1. Topic
2. Question
3. Importance

C. State the problem clearly:

• I’m studying: (autism)
• to investigate: (if there is a relationship between autism and vaccines)
• In order to understand: (Why is there so much controversy?  Are the concerns valid?)

Be open to changing your questions as you do research.

Lamson Library's Home Page is available at:

library.plymouth.edu