Review the Week 5 Annotated Bibliography Example, and the 4 Easy Steps to Using the Ashford Library for Background Research, Possible Topics for Research, and How to Ask an Open-Ended Question handouts.
Download and review the Week 1 Research Topic and Question worksheet that you will complete and turn in for this assignment.
This week, you will develop a research question for your annotated bibliography:
Choose a research topic.
Explore your topic.
Write your research question.
Choose a Research Topic
Choose a research topic related to your program or major. This topic will be used for all five weeks so choose one that interests you and for which two scholarly articles, one e-book , and two non-scholarly sources are available. Review the Possible Topics for Research handout if you need ideas. It is recommended that you review the GEN103 Week 1 Assignment example.
Provide a two to three sentence explanation of the research topic and how it is related to your major on the Week 1 Research Topic and Question worksheet.
Explore your Topic
On the Week 1 Assignment worksheet, fill in the KWHL chart to explore the research topic. Be sure to carefully follow the instructions on the worksheet. The 4 Easy Steps to Using the Ashford Library for Background Research is a helpful resource at this point.
Write Your Research Question
Write the first draft of your research question in the table at the bottom of the Week 1 Assignment worksheet. Your research question will help you focus your research by defining the information you are looking for as you research your topic.
Your research question must be:
Open-ended (should begin with “how,” “why” or “what”)
Clear
Concise
Detailed
The How to Ask an Open-Ended Question handout can help you formulate an open-ended question.