Research Writing & Library Skills

Agenda
Elements of a research question;
Creating a research question;
Video discussion;
Reading discussion;
Grammar: Caution

Elements of a Research Question

TYPES OF FOCUS
Cause: This kind of question asks you to explain the causes or reasons for something.
Why do people become addicted to alcohol?
Effect: Writing about the consequences or effects of an event or action
What are the negative consequences of alcohol addiction?
• The writer using this research question will read sources looking for effects of alcohol addiction
Comparison: Your research question might ask you to compare two or more concepts.
How are attitudes toward drinking alcohol similar or different in the United States and Japan?
• The focus for this question is comparing attitudes in the two countries
Definition: Some research questions ask for an in-depth definition of a topic.
What are the signs of alcohol addiction?
• Here the focus is on explaining what alcoholism is, so the task is to define alcoholism

Classification: Other research questions are about ways of classifying a topic.
What are the different patterns of alcohol use?
•The evidence is about various ways people incorporate alcohol into their lives
Problem and Solution: A research question may present a problem and point toward solutions.
How can a person who is an alcoholic stop drinking?
• With this focus about the problem of how to stop using alcohol, the writer will read for information about ways to solve the problem of addiction
Process: A research question may ask how something is done or how something happens.
How does an individual become addicted to alcohol?
• Using this focus on how the addiction develops, the writer will search for information about the steps in becoming addicted to alcohol
Argument: Some research questions may be in a yes/no format and ask you to explain an opinion.
Should the legal age for drinking be lowered from 21 to 18?
• In this case, the focus is an opinion and why that opinion is right: The writer using this research question will decide his opinion about the question and look for information about why that opinion is correct.

Practice:
For each research question, identify the Topic and the type of Focus:
Cause;
Effect;
Comparison;
Definition;
Classification;
Problem and solution;
Process;
Argument;
And describe the Kind of information

TWO WAYS
TO CREATE A RESEARCH QUESTION
Way 1: Consider the ideas you discussed with your groupmates
"The hero has an original perspective that distinguishes her from others who settle for agreement and conformity or are too beaten down to ask necessary questions. The relationship between the hero and the established order of things is fluid; she insists on her freedom to perceive, within the context of things-as-they-are, the way things could be."
-Polster, Miriam, 2001
What is a hero?

Way 2: Look at some of the sections you highlighted while reading
"Although experts have pinpointed these problems in frequent cell phone users, studies have yet to show if a bad cell phone habit constitutes an actual addiction. Yet as with traditional addictions, excessive cell phone use is associated with certain hallmark patterns of behavior, including using something to feel good, building up a tolerance and needing it more and more over time to get the same feeling, and going through withdrawal if deprived of if Merlo said."
-Birdwell, April Frawley,H ealth, Research Technology, 2007.
How do cell phones affect people in a harmful way?

"Rising consumption has helped meet basic needs and create jobs", says Christopher Flavin, president of the Worldwatch Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank. "But as we enter a new century, this unprecedented consumer appetite is undermining the natural systems we all depend on and making it even harder for the world's poor to meet their basic needs."
-Knickerbocker, Brad, 2004
Write one possible research question based on this extract from
"If Poor Get Richer, Does World See Progress?"

Video
discussion
Why do the rich get richer and
the poor get poorer?
Can it be changed?
If yes, how?
If no, why?
If it is changed,
will it affect people’s life?

Reading Discussion