Research Guides: CMP-125 (Harris, Spring 2022): **Research Exploration Essay &amp; Question Development

Research Exploration Essay

Essay 2: Research Exploration Essay (5-6 pages)
Due Dates Due 3/22.
Description: The research exploration essay will be a narrative account of your research experience explaining your initial research question and why it interests you, explaining and reflecting on your research process and sources, exploring how your questions and ideas have changed, and providing an initial thesis for the final research essay based on this process.

Developing a Research Question Video (6 min.)
Video by Laurier University.

Narrow by choosing a:

✔️Topic
✔️People/Group
✔️Place/Location/Setting
✔️Time Period
✔️Point of View (POV): Disciplinary perspectives. (Psychology, Sociology, Education, Business, Biology, etc.)

PUT THAT ALL TOGETHER.

(Adapated from Wilsey Library (St. Ignatius College)

Refine by Narrowing:

Who: Specific group: Gender, sex, age, race/ethnicity, cultural group, socioeconomic status, nationality

What: Key issues. Subtopics. What gaps or unanswered questions?

Where: Geographical or other location/setting? (Town or state might be too narrow, depending on topic)

When: Current? Historical? Was there a significant event that led to the study of your topic?

Why: Significance. Why are you interested? Why should others be interested?

How: What kinds of information do you need?

Background and context (encyclopedic sources, handbooks, (e)books on the topic)
Primary sources (interviews, memoirs, personal narratives, statistics, newspaper articles); original scientific research articles
Secondary sources (magazine articles, scholarly articles, ebooks)

Library One Search
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Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Credo Reference provides access to 600+ encyclopedias, handbooks, guides and dictionaries. These reference works cover a wide swath of topics including, science and medicine, history and cultural studies, business, education, and much more.
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Statistics, infographics, industry reports, and more!

Statista is one of the world’s largest statistics portals. Providing you with access to relevant data from over 18,000 sources, our focus is firmly based on professional, clear, quick and consistent results. Our customized search query form provides you with a list of statistics, studies and reports relating to your search request within a matter of seconds – kick-starting your research.
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WorldCat is the world's largest network of library content and services. WorldCat libraries are dedicated to providing access to their resources on the Web, where most people start their search for information.