Wiki Page, GOTT Clover II: Identify (3 of 6): The Research Process

Wiki Page
2016-08-14T21:35:07-06:00

Inquiry is another word for asking questions, but it implies more than a direct answer. Look at the second definition for inquiry: an official investigation. Examining, analyzing, exploring... all these words imply an ongoing process.

Research is also an ongoing process with multiple steps that don't necessarily follow a particular order. Any part of the research process, or the steps needed to articulate new information, can be repeated at any time. Your research question may change, but it will still drive what sources to find and how to arrange your argument.

Part of what makes academic research so important is that the questions under investigation are original, or unique.

If we ask new questions we don't already know the answer to, our research can add to and expand upon the existing body of knowledge on a subject.

Like a hypothesis for a scientific experiment, asking questions about what we don't know and identifying the information needed is the first step toward writing any research paper.

In college-level research we aren't always looking for a simple answer, so your research question may not have a yes or no answer.

Words like how, in what way, and why, form open-ended questions. Strong research questions are open-ended to give more room for possible and even unforeseen answers.