Asking a Question

You should formulate your topic as a question before you get very far into your research.

Because a research paper that doesn't answer a question is little more than a summary
Because questions help to narrow the focus of your project and your research
Because research papers begin with a thesis that is addressed with evidence presented in the paper. If your research begins with a question that is answered by analyzing evidence, then the presentation will flow from the research itself

Advanced strategies

Organize your questions -
Organize your paper -

Once you have chosen a topic that is neither too narrow nor too broad, bombard your topic with questions. It is often useful to organize your questions into categories:

Categories for the topic "Censorship on the Internet"

...and questions

• Identify its parts and wholes:

How is censorship of the Internet associated with recent social trends?

• Trace its history and changes:

How is censoring of the Internet similar to the earlier censorship of books?

• Identify its categories and characeristics:

What types of information are of most concern to proponents of Internet censorship? Why?

• Determine its value:

What are the implications of thorough Internet censorship?

In The Craft of Research, (Booth, Wayne, Colomb, Gregory and Joseph Williams. University of Chicago Press, 1995, p.39-41) the authors suggest a process for turning a topic into a question. It is described on the right.