Narrowing a Topic & Writing Research Questions

Introduction

You may not know right away what your research question is. Gather information on the broader topic to explore new possibilities and to help narrow your topic.

Once you have chosen a general topic for your research paper, you will want to narrow this topic to something more specific. Next, you will develop a research question to research, explore, and write about in your paper.

The following information on this page goes into depth of Steps 1-4 of Eight Steps to Research.

Narrowing a Topic

When you have an overall subject to pursue, your next task is to narrow and focus the topic. You want to narrow your topic so that you can explore it in detail. Also, narrowing your topic will enable you to better determine the specific direction of your paper and the research you will conduct on your topic.

You can focus your topic by using the following strategies:

Choose an Interesting Topic

If you’re interested in your topic, chances are that others will be, too. Plus researching will be a lot more fun!

Brainstorm

Ask yourself the following questions to start generating some ideas and narrowing a focus to write research and ultimately write about.

• What subtopics relate to the broader topic?

• What questions do these sources raise?

• What do you find interesting about the topic?

Consider Your Audience

Who would be interested in the issue?  Does the prompt already give you hints of who the audience may be?  Now that you know the audience, what types of information and sources should you be looking for?

Generate a List

Create a list of more specific areas of interest (subtopics) related to your overall topic.  For example:

• Subtopics related to education:

  • Online education

  • Traditional education model

  • Common Core

  • STEM education

• Subtopics related to crime:

• • Juvenile crime

  • Criminal justice system

  • Racial profiling

  • Prison reform

From Topic to Research Questions

After choosing a topic and gathering background information, add focus with developing research questions that you want to explore. Keep in mind this won’t be a factual question that has a set right or wrong answer.

You can develop your research questions by using the following strategies:

Explore Questions

Ask open-ended “how” and “why” questions about your general topic.

Consider the “so what” of your topic. Why does this topic matter to you? Why should it matter to others?

Reflect on the questions you have considered. Identify one or two questions you find engaging and which could be explored further through research.

Determine & Evaluate Your Research Question

What aspect of the more general topic you will explore?

Is your research question clear?

Is your research question focused? (Research questions must be specific enough to be well covered in the space available.)

Is your research question complex? (Questions shouldn’t have a simple yes/no answer and should require research and analysis.)

Hypothesize

After you’ve come up with a question, consider the path your answer might take.

• • • If you are making an argument, what will you say?

    • Why does your argument matter?

    • How might others challenge your argument?

    • What kind of sources will you need to support your argument?

Generate a List of Questions

This list will be what you’d like to explore related to your subtopics.

Utilize "3 Levels of Questioning Method" to help with question-starters.  For example:

• Questions related to education:

  • What is the future of online education?

  • Is the traditional education model the most effective?

  • Does the Common Core result in better prepared students?

  • What are the effects of moving toward STEM education?

  • How can we better fund education in America?

• Questions related to crime:

  • Why are children being tried as adults?

  • How should drug offenses be addressed within the criminal justice system?

  • Is racial profiling affecting arrest demographics?

  • How can we best reform our over-populated prisons?

Once you have generated as many research questions as you can for narrowing the topic, choose the option that is most interesting to you and that you think will best fit the length and purpose of your assignment.

Focusing your Research Question

Your project’s focus will be the research question you choose to explore and the conclusions you reach.

Begin the research and writing process using the following tips:

Research Your Question

Now that you have a research question, you can begin exploring possible answers to it. Your research question allows you to begin researching in a clear direction.

Create a Thesis Statement

Once you have a clear understanding of your research question and have developed some answers or conclusions, you can create your thesis statement. Your paper or project will be an extension of your thesis statement where you explain and support your focused topic very specifically.

Remain Flexible 

As you continue researching, developing, and thinking about your focused topic and paper, you may find that you have new information, new answers, or conclusions about your topic. In this case, simply go back and modify your thesis. Most writers do not finalize their thesis statement until the last draft of their paper, so think about the focus as merely a starting guideline that is flexible and subject to change.

Research is a form of problem solving, and the first step in problem solving is always to identify the problem. In other words, what question do you hope to answer with your research?