Research Guides: SPAN 218: Latino Heritage I: 1. Pregunta de investigación

Starting with a research question means approaching your research with curiosity and an open mind. You should let your question guide you both in practical terms of helping you come up with search terms (keywords) as well as in avoiding bias by assuming you know the outcome or answer.

Check out this tutorial from Arizona State Libraries to get started:

Developing a Research or Guiding Question

Choosing Your Topic is Research (Video Tutorial)

Watch this short video from NC State University Libraries about choosing a research topic.

Narrowing a Research Topic (Infographic)

This graphic emphasizes how reading various sources can play a role in defining your research topic.

(Click to Enlarge Image)

Long description of "From Topic to Question" for web accessibility

Mind Mapping to Narrow or Broaden a Topic

If you're not sure where to start with your research question, create a mind map and use the 6 question words to think about your topic.

Narrowing/broadening a topic tips

Narrowing

If your topic is broad, consider asking yourself the 6 Ws (who, what, when, where, why, and how) and trying a combination of these elements with your broad topic:

WHO: Population (age, gender, ethnicity, etc.)
WHAT: Type based on the topic (example: topic is renewable energy, types could be wind energy, solar energy, etc.)
WHEN: Choose a timeframe (time period or time in life)
WHERE: Choose a location (states, region, country, etc.)
WHY: Why does it matter to research this topic?
HOW: How will I go about finding information on this topic?

Examples with the topic concussions in sports:

WHO: Kid sports and concussions
WHAT: Kids and football concussions
WHEN: College football players and concussions
WHERE: Concussions of college football players in the United States
WHY: Effects of concussions on college football players later in life
HOW: Searching sports databases and journals and medical magazines and newspapers

Research Question: What is the effect on adults of sports concussions received in childhood?

Broadening

If you're not finding information on your topic, it might be too narrow and needs to be broadened. Consider removing a word or element from your research question/thesis/topic.

Pause to Reflect

Step one not only requires that you come up wth a research question or topic that is narrow enough to explore for an undergraduate research paper, but it also requires that you consider what type of information you will need to find in order to answer your research question.

Is your topic so large you could write a whole book or PhD dissertation on it? If so, you should try to narrow your topic down to something manageable within the time you have and the number of pages or words your instructor is requiring.
Is your topic so specific that you can't find information about it? Go to step 3 to learn how to search more strategically and broaden your search out a bit.
Do you need some basic facts, dates, or names of historical people or specific theories? If so, go on to step 2: Find Background Information.
When you are ready, go to step 3 to learn how and where to search for information on your topic.

Mount Hood reflected in Mirror Lake, Oregon, USA. Image in Public Domain.

SPAN 218: Latino Heritage I

Need Help?

Where to get Ideas

The Information Life Cycle (Video Tutorial)