Research Process: A Step-by-Step Guide: 1b. Develop Research Questions

“Brainstorming means examining your topic from a variety of angles—keeping an open mind and an open research log, the former to invite new ideas and the latter to house them.” -Mary W. George, The Elements of Library Research

Your topic may be brand new to you, or you could be starting a project that you have experience with.
Either way, decide now where you fit in the chart below, and prepare to write your questions.

Once you have selected an initial topic, the next step is to develop research questions. 
To begin:

• Write down what you already know or don't know about the topic.
• Using the information you wrote down, develop questions you'd like to answer when doing your research.
  • Use probing questions such as why? how? what if? should?
  • Avoid questions that can be answered with yes or no.
  • Keep so what? in mind. In other words, why is this topic and the research question important?

What do or don't I know about Homelessness in Australia?

I know:

Homeless people in Australia is a nationwide problem.

There are charities set up to help the homeless.

I don't know:

Why are people homeless?

What can be done to prevent homelessness?

Is affordable housing a part of the problem?

Research questions:

1. What is homelessness and why is it an important issue?
2. What background information is necessary to understand this issue?
   1. What causes homelessness?
   2. What are the effects of homelessness?
   3. Is it even possible to “cure: homelessness?
3. What can be done to help the homeless find permanent residences?

Brainstorming or mind mapping will help you explore potential concepts and questions.

Some people benefit from mapping out their ideas visually. There are tons of free tools that can help with this. Find a few of them below:

Mindmeister

ThinkBuzan

XMind

Bubbl.us

You can also find a mindmapping template below.