Exercise—Topic Development and Research Questions

Part I. Good Question/Bad Question

Read the following and decide whether or not you think each is a good research question. Briefly explain your answer. If you think a question is weak, explain how you would make it stronger.

Ø What happened in the Darfur region of Western Sudan this past year?

I think it's a good research question because it's not too narrow or too broad.

Ø Did news coverage of the poor conditions at the U.S. Military’s Walter Reed Medical Center result in improved care of the veterans housed there?

I think it may be a good research question but I'm not sure.

Ø Did Germany invade Poland during the Second World War?

I think this is a weak question. The results of the answer to this question will be simply "yes" or "no". I will search “Explain how Germany invaded Poland during the Second World War.” in order to get better results.

Ø Does the media cause eating disorders in women?

It is an interesting topic but we can narrow it simply add the age of women.

Ø Is there evidence that vocational training programs in California prisons impact recidivism (re-offense) rates?

Good question.
I will search as: "Does vocational training programs in California prisons lower recidivism(re-offense) rates and how?"


Part II: Answer the following questions.

1. When you’re developing a research topic, you should be able to talk for one minute about that topic. Explain why, and how you’d prepare yourself.

When we have something to say, one minute seems to pass very quick just like one second. We need to have some knowledge of the thing we want to say and get enough information about it. Then when we talk about it, it's really easy.
I will remember the main facts and some important claim when I prepare.


2. Describe some ways you can narrow the focus of a research topic.

Narrow a topic is easy to me. When I'm writing about something, I always focus on certain opinion, or focus on the keyword, age, country, time period, etc.