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HASS 103: Writing and Communications Colloquium

This guide will help students get started with their research.

Developing and Refining a Research Topic or Question

Settling on a question or topic to pursue for a paper or assignment takes some thought.

 

Where to Start: What are you interested in?

If you're not interested in learning more about the subject, or at least answering the question you pose, you'll be less compelled to see it through.

 

Structure Your Question

Suggestions:

  • Comparison

  • Cause and effect

  • Process

Make sure your question is open-ended (not answered by yes or no) and is something that will allow you to take a position (for? against?).

 

Refine As You Go

It's important to recognize that your topic is not set in stone and may change as you read more about it.

VIDEO
Developing a Research Question, by Western University (via YouTube; CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)

Brainstorm and Concept Map

Making a concept map is a good way to visualize the connections your mind makes between concepts and ideas.

When working to develop a research question, concept mapping helps organize your thoughts and can lead you to identify ideas that can make for a solid research paper.

Vicky's map of connected concepts, starting with ETHICS OF AI at the top in a gray lozenge. Connections are transcribed here in outline formExample

Vicky's Concept Map (click image to enlarge)

Inspired by “Keanu Will Never Surrender to the Machines” (A. Watercutter, Wired, Feb. 2023).

PLEASE NOTE: Concept maps are best done by hand (but the computer versions are easier to read).

  1. Start with a really BROAD topic: The ethics of AI
  2. Think about aspects of that topic:
    1. Production
    2. Use
    3. Issues
  3. Dig deeper into those aspects:
    1. Production:
      1. Data collection (company side)
      2. Engineer/source bias
    2. Use
      1. Military
      2. Entertainment
      3. Writing and communications
    3. Issues
      1. Misinformation
      2. Attribution
      3. Privacy/data collection (user side)
  4. Any connections?
    1. Entertainment - misinformation

  5. NARROW your focus: you have a sense of a potential topic, now put it in the form of a question:
    How does the use of AI in movies influence viewers, and does that count as misinformation?

What to Consider

Which of these might apply to your topic?

  • Synonyms
  • Related topics
  • Time period
  • Technical terms
  • People
  • Geographical locations

There are no wrong answers! This is the phase of researching when you can let your mind go wherever it wants to.

Tools

All you need for a concept map is pencil and paper (which is free and doesn't track your personal data!), but if you prefer to work digitally, here are some options.

VIDEO
Brainstorming for a Research Topic Using a Concept Map, by Frances Willson Thompson Library, University of Michigan (via YouTube; CC BY)

This video's a bit on the long side but it nicely shows how expansive your map can get!