ENGL 309: Proposals and Reports

Once you have selected a topic, the next step is to develop research questions.

• Write down what you already know or don't know about the topic.
• Use that information to develop questions.
  • Use probing questions, such as - why? and/or what if?
  • Avoid "yes" and "no" questions. 

The keywords you use can have a profound impact on the results of your research. Using the “right” words will speed up the research process, while the “wrong” words can bring to it to a halt.

Before you can begin searching for information, you need to identify keywords related to your topic. Key terminology can be easily be found by scanning:

• Your research questions
• Articles found from background research
• Bibliographies found at the end of books and articles

If you are still struggling:

• Use a thesaurus to identify synonyms
• Find pictures related to your topic, then describe them
• Brainstorm keywords with a librarian, your instructor, or a friend