GEN 103: Information Literacy Writing Your Research Question Worksheet: Now that you’ve chosen your research topic, done a bit of background research and brainstormed your ideas, you’re ready to write your research question. Your research question will direct the research that you do over next few weeks as you look for sources for your annotated bibliography. Refer to Section 1.3 of your textbook to review the elements and purposeof a research question.Hover over the blue underlined words to read a definition in the Glossary located at the end of this document. You will begin developing your research question by filling in the table below Example of Research Question Development The table below illustrates how a research question develops from a broad topic to a focused question. Follow the four examples down each column to see how the questions develop. BROAD TOPIC RESTRICTED TOPIC NARROWED TOPIC RESEARCH QUESTION Pollution Acid Rain Acid Rain in the United States What can we do in the United States to prevent acid rain? Pollution Oil Spills Oil spills and commerce What impact do oil spills have on the fishing and tourism businesses in areas affected? Pollution Pesticides Pesticides and the bee population What evidence is there that pesticides are significantly harming the bee population? Pollution Fracking (hydraulic fracturing) Fracking and groundwater What evidence is there that fracking can cause groundwater contamination? Develop Your Research Question Now try out your topic ideas below using the information you brainstormed. Try out several variations of your topic idea to see how it could be improved or amended. Research Question Development Table The table will expand as you enter content into the columns. BROAD TOPIC RESTRICTED TOPIC NARROWED TOPIC RESEARCH QUESTION Research Question: Of the possible research questions you came up with above, which question are you planning to use for your annotated bibliography? Check to be sure that the research question meets these criteria: · It is open-ended (cannot be answered with simple yes or no). · It addresses an issue or controversy and/or solves a problem. · It is something on which you can take a stand. Reflection (150-200 words) In the space below, explain what you learned about this process as you conducted background research and refined your topic. What was the most difficult part of the process and how was it difficult for you? What part of the process did you find most helpful and why? Once complete, save your completed worksheet and return to the online classroom to submit this document through the “Assignment Submission” button below the assignment instructions. Glossary: Return to top Annotated bibliography: A list of citations with descriptions and a brief summary or critical statement about each one. Return Research question: The star ...

1. GEN 103: Information Literacy
Writing Your Research Question Worksheet:
Now that you’ve chosen your research topic, done a bit of
background research and brainstormed your ideas, you’re ready
to write your research question. Your research question will
direct the research that you do over next few weeks as you look
for sources for your annotated bibliography. Refer to Section
1.3 of your textbook to review the elements and purposeof a
research question.Hover over the blue underlined words to read
a definition in the Glossary located at the end of this document.
You will begin developing your research question by filling in
the table below
Example of Research Question Development
The table below illustrates how a research question develops
from a broad topic to a focused question. Follow the four
examples down each column to see how the questions develop.
BROAD
TOPIC
RESTRICTED
TOPIC
NARROWED
TOPIC
RESEARCH QUESTION
Pollution
Acid Rain
Acid Rain in the United States
What can we do in the United States to prevent acid rain?

2. Pollution
Oil Spills
Oil spills and commerce
What impact do oil spills have on the fishing and tourism
businesses in areas affected?
Pollution
Pesticides
Pesticides and the bee population
What evidence is there that pesticides are significantly harming
the bee population?
Pollution
Fracking (hydraulic fracturing)
Fracking and groundwater
What evidence is there that fracking can cause groundwater
contamination?
Develop Your Research Question
Now try out your topic ideas below using the information you
brainstormed. Try out several variations of your topic idea to
see how it could be improved or amended.
Research Question Development Table
The table will expand as you enter content into the columns.
BROAD
TOPIC
RESTRICTED
TOPIC
NARROWED
TOPIC
RESEARCH QUESTION

3. Research Question:
Of the possible research questions you came up with above,
which question are you planning to use for your annotated
bibliography?
Check to be sure that the research question meets these criteria:
· It is open-ended (cannot be answered with simple yes or no).
· It addresses an issue or controversy and/or solves a problem.
· It is something on which you can take a stand.
Reflection (150-200 words)
In the space below, explain what you learned about this process
as you conducted background research and refined your topic.

4. What was the most difficult part of the process and how was it
difficult for you? What part of the process did you find most
helpful and why?
Once complete, save your completed worksheet and return to
the online classroom to submit this document through the
“Assignment Submission” button below the assignment
instructions.
Glossary:
Return to top
Annotated bibliography: A list of citations with descriptions
and a brief summary or critical statement about each one.
Return
Research question: The starting point for your research. This
question should contain key terms or concepts (ideas) related to
your research topic (Soloman, Wilson, and Taylor, 2012).
Return
Easy Steps to Using the Ashford Library for

5. Background Research
Don’t know where to start with a research project? A good
place to start is with some
background research on your main topic. Doing a bit of reading
in an encyclopedia, an
almanac or another general reference source can help you
understand the important
people, events and terms that are associated with your topic.
This can make it easier
to develop your research question and to identify key terms
later when you are doing
research in the library’s database.
Encyclopedias and other general reference works (like almanacs
and dictionaries) are
not scholarly sources. Generally, they are not considered
acceptable sources for
research papers for your classes here at Ashford. (If you have a
question about
whether a source is acceptable, you should always ask your
instructor.) So, even
though you would not use an encyclopedia article in the final
version of a paper or
project, encyclopedias can be a great place to get started on
your research.

6. Click on the “Library” tab in the classroom.
Click on “Encyclopedias and Dictionaries”.
Choose the encyclopedia or dictionary that you
want from this list.
If you follow these steps, you will be on your way to learning
more about your topic.

7. You will find it much easier to create a research question and
identify keywords that
you will need for finding those scholarly sources that you need
for your final paper or
project.
In the search box, type your topic.
Brainstorming Outline
Creating an outline can help you think about your topic and the
concepts associated with it. Outlining can help you see how
subtopics are related to your main topic and identify areas that
you might like explore further.
To create an outline, you will start with your main topic, then
list three or four concepts related to your main idea (subtopics)
below it. Below each subtopic, you’ll list three or four
concepts related to that subtopic (subdivisions). You can see an
example below and the fill in the template.
Brainstorming Outline Example
Civil Rights Era
Voter Education Project
Citizenship Schools
Voter Registration Campaigns
The role of the church in Voter Education Act
Bus Boycotts
Involvement of SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating
Committee)
Kennedy-Johnson’s response
Browder v. Gayle decision
Freedom Riders
Sit-Ins

8. The role of CORE (Congress of Racial Equality)
North Carolina’s Role
College students and Sit-Ins
The North’s response
Brainstorming Outline
Main concept [Insert Text Here]
First subconcept [Insert Text Here]
First subdivision [Insert Text Here]
Second subdivision [Insert Text Here]
Third subdivision [Insert Text Here]
Fourth subdivision [Insert Text Here]
Second subconcept [Insert Text Here]
First subdivision [Insert Text Here]
Second subdivision [Insert Text Here]
Third subdivision [Insert Text Here]
Fourth subdivision [Insert Text Here]
Third subconcept [Insert Text Here]
First subdivision [Insert Text Here]
Second subdivision [Insert Text Here]
Third subdivision [Insert Text Here]
Fourth subdivision [Insert Text Here]
How to Ask an Open-Ended Question
There are two different ways of asking questions, 1) close-
ended and 3) open-ended.

9. Close-ended questions:
• Can be answered with either a single word or a short phrase,
usually “yes” or “no”
• Are easy to answer and provide no details or analysis
• Do not encourage in-depth or long-range thinking
Open-Ended questions:
• An open question is likely to receive an in-depth, detailed
answer
• Ask the respondent to think and reflect on what they’ve read
• Encourages critical thinking that leads the respondent to think
beyond the reading
assignment
• Open-ended questions usually begin with “how,” “why” and
“what”
Examples:
Close-Ended Open-Ended
Do you get along well with your
supervisor?
How do you view your relationship with
your supervisor?
Who will you vote for in this election? What do you think
about the two
candidates in this election?
Did you like the journal article you read

10. this week?
What did you think of the journal article
we read for this week?
Does acid rain hurt the planet? How does acid rain hurt the
planet?
Do we need animal welfare laws? What kind of animal welfare
laws should
cities adopt?
Do you like the four seasons? Which of the four seasons do you
like and
why?
General Open-Ended Question Examples:
• What was the most important war the United States fought and
why do you see it
as the most important war?
• Why do many scientists believe climate change is happening?
• How does drought contribute to the destabilization of the
natural environment?
• Why is immigration reform needed?
• What are the benefits of the private prison system?
• How does the academic source address its topic?
• What information does the website provide?
• How does the eBook explain acid rain?

11. Brainstorming
Brainstorming can help you think about many different aspects
of your topic and open up the issues that you might like to
explore. Thinking about the who, what, when, where, why and
how questions surrounding the topic can help you to examine
the topic from many different angles and determine what
aspects of the topic you are interested in researching. Below
you have been provided with some questions to get you started
but it is likely that you will come with other questions on your
own that will help you in this process.
Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
How?
Who does your main topic affect?
What aspect of this of this topic is important?
When did your main topic occur? Is this a current issue or a
historical issue? Or is it an upcoming issue?
Where is your main topic located or where is it an issue?
Why is this topic important?
How does this topic affect people or things?
GEN 103: Information Literacy

12. Research Question Worksheet
Student Name:
GEN103: Information Literacy
Instructor:
February 21, 2018
Research Question Worksheet
The research topic that I have selected for th is project is
related with early literacy. I have selected this topic because I
have because I will be going to head in the near future and I
will be required to find some innovative ways to support the
students in their literacy development.
Research Question Development Table
BROAD
TOPIC
RESTRICTED
TOPIC
NARROWED
TOPIC
RESEARCH QUESTION
Early Literacy
Development of Early Literacy
Development of Early Literacy in America
What are factors that have impact on the development of early
literacy in America?

13. Early Literacy
Components of Early Literacy
The role of Components of early literacy in America
What are the main components of early literacy and what is the
role and how these are ranked according to the importance in
America?
Early Literacy
Issues in Early Literacy
Issues faced by early literacy in America
What are issues and problems that the early literacy is facing in
America?
Early Literacy
Early Literacy Policies and Practices
Effective early literacy policies and practices in America
What are the policies and practices that will be effective for the
early literacy in America?
Reflection
"In the space below, explain what you learned about this
process as you conducted background research and refined your
topic. What was the most difficult part of the process and how
was it difficult for you? What part of the process did you find
most helpful and why? "
This brainstorming task was very interesting and enjoyable
for me. I have started with my selected topic and researched
some useful resources where I could learn some aspects of the
topic. So I learned from this process how to use brainstorming
to get the flow of ideas. Once I learned about the topic and all
the aspects of the topic, a flow of ideas and questions come to
my mind. First almost ten types of questions came to my mind.

14. It was confusing me that what number of questions I should
include in my research question worksheet. I conducted the
analysis of all of these questions. Some of questions found were
not open ended, so I dropped them out. Some of the questions
were broad in their span and they would make the research topic
a wide one and the research on the topic would become very
tough to manage in short because the number of variables in
that case would be high. So I dropped out some questions of this
type. In the end I came up with four questions presented in the
above table.
The most helpful part of the process was the research
process and brainstorming which gave me lot knowledge about
the topic and given a lot of ideas. The most difficult part of the
assignment was the screening process. The screening process
took lot of time as I initially did not know how to screen the
questions for a research topic. I had to learn the screening
process and criteria before I could practically do the screen of
the questions that I had developed through brainstorming
process.