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The hardest part is getting started, so let's GO!
The hardest part is getting started, so let's GO!
Step 1: Understanding the Assignment
Step 1: Understanding the Assignment
Make sure you understand ALL the requirements of your assignment whether it is a research paper, project, or speech. What information about your assignment has your teacher given you so far? Before starting any assignment, you should know the following:
What will be the final presentation? (ie: written, oral, multimedia, etc...)
What is the purpose of the assignment? (ie: inform, persuade, entertain.)
Who is my intended audience? (ie: peers, parents/teachers, community members)
How many people will be involved? (ie: individual, pairs, small groups)
What is the minimum/maximum number of pages/slides/minutes?
What types of resources will you need? (ie: books, websites, images, videos, maps, charts, etc...)
How will you find your content? (ie: opinion or research)
What type of information will answer your research question? (factual, analytical, objective, subjective, current, historical, popular, scholarly, primary, secondary)
How much information do I need?
How will the assignment be evaluated? (ie: Rubric, peer reviewed, judges)
What do I already know about my topic?
When is the project due? Be sure you are allowing yourself enough time to complete the assignment by the due date. This should include, time for research, creating outlines, rough drafts, final, drafts and practicing (if it is a presentation or speech)
Step 2: Choosing a Topic
Step 2: Choosing a Topic
Now that you have made sure that you fully understand your assignment, it is time to choose a topic to research. Below are some helpful tips to get you started. Always make sure that your topic meets your teacher's requirements- check with them if you're not sure.
Some things to consider when choosing a topic:
Make sure it is interesting - you will enjoy your research more if the topic is something that will hold your interest. Does it have personal meaning to you?
Meets the requirements of your assignment- Was your topic chosen for you? Are there topics you cannot use?
Is it researchable- source availability. Do a quick search in Google or your school library database to see if there are resources available.
Narrowing your topic:
Think of 4 or 5 keywords that describe your topic- you can create a mind map
Come up with synonyms for those keywords- this can help with your search by using other related words in the search field
Do a quick Google Search or look up your topic on Wikipedia- These resources can help you find additional keywords, subtopics, or related topics to help narrow your focus. If looking at books, see what the chapter headings are called.
TIP: Use the editorial questions WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, and HOW to help narrow your topic into a more manageable research question.
Using a topic to generate questions: All research starts with a question that needs to be answered. Creating questions about your topic can help guide your research.
Questions require answers- a topic is hard to cover completely because it typically encompasses too many related, but a question has an answer, even if it is ambiguous or controversial.
TOPIC : Artificial Intelligence QUESTION: What are the benefits of using Artificial Intelligence in education?
Questions give you a way of evaluating answers- A clearly stated question helps you decide which information will be useful. A broad topic may tempt you to stash away information that may be helpful, but you're not sure how. A question also makes it easier to know when you have enough information to stop your research.
A open-ended question calls for real research and thinking- Asking a question with no direct answer makes research and writing more meaningful. Word your topic question so that is cannot be answered with a yes or no answer.
Here are a few places to start looking to help generate topic ideas!
Here are a few places to start looking to help generate topic ideas!
REMEMBER: that once you pick your topic, it in not set in stone. You may have to make adjustments to your topic which is an integral part of the reseach process.
Get the latest information about topics currently making headlines.
A Search Engine for Students
News, audio, and podcasts. Coverage of breaking stories, national and world news, politics, business, science, technology.
This tutorial will provide you with a framework for identifying a manageable topic, developing a research question, and using Wikipedia and Google to create a research outline.
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