Think of your research questions as a grocery list designed to guide you through a huge “storehouse” of information. This list will allow you to efficiently locate and retrieve the most relevant knowledge possible to support your thesis, prevent you from getting off track as you sift through large quantities of information, and even help keep you organized as you begin writing. Your list of questions may change and/or expand as your research progresses.
Start out by introducing your topic, communicating to your audience why the topic is important, and providing enough background information to allow your audience to understand the analysis that is about to take place. Your introduction is also the logical place to embed your thesis.
Examples of defining/introductory questions:
o What is _________________?
o Why is ____________ an important issue?
o What background information is necessary to understand ______________?
o What are the different types of ____________?
All academic research demands analysis. Some projects lend themselves well to a cause/effect structure ("What caused hip-hop to emerge and what are some of the effects its had on American culture?), while other assignments require a pro/con format ("What are the positive aspects of stem cell research? What are some of the negative implications?). Some projects can easily conform to both modes.
Examples of analytical/body questions:
o What are the causes of ________________?
o What are the effects of ________________?
o What are the arguments in favor of_______________?
o What are the counterarguments about ______________?
o How can I refute the counterarguments about ______________?
o What is being done about ______________?
Your conclusion allows you to demonstrate to your instructor that you have synthesized the information you found and clearly answered your thesis question (informative essays)