Can’t think of a question or problem to research? 

• Scan your textbook.
• Skim current magazines and newspapers.
• Browse encyclopedias.
• Discuss topics with your instructor, a librarian or a classmate.

From the Johnson & Wales University Library (Denver, CO).

Once you have identified some keywords, the next step is to find background information on your topic. Background research:

• Provides a good overview of the topic if you are unfamiliar with it.
• Helps identify important facts -- terminology, dates, events, history, organizations, etc.
• Can help refine your topic.
• Leads to bibliographies which provide additional sources of information.

Try Reference Materials

If you are unfamiliar with a topic, reference materials can be helpful in providing an overview of the topic, in providing an overview of the topic, including major issues as well as important terminology and names associated with the topic. Hekman Library's Reference collection includes both online and print resources. Subject encyclopedias can be especially useful.

Once you have selected a question, the next step is to come up with related or sub-questions.

• Think about what you already know or don't know about the topic.
• Use that information to develop more questions.
  • Use why? and what if? kinds of questions.
  • Avoid simple "yes" and "no" questions.

Example: Endangered Species Act

What do or don't I know about the Endangered Species Act (ESA)?

I know:

• it's a law that protects animals and habitats that are in danger of extinction
• at one point bald eagles and grizzly bears were on the list
• there has been a lot of controversy about adding polar bears to the list

I don't know:

• what it takes for an animal to be removed from or added to the list
• what the penalties are for violating this act
• if it protects only habitats within the U.S.

Research Questions

What was the ESA designed to protect and are the protections sufficient?

What other countries have legislation to protect animals/habitats, and how do their laws differ from U.S. laws?

What penalties are imposed on those who violate the act? Are they fair? Should they be more stringent?

If you are finding too much information, your research topic may be too B R O A D. Consider narrowing it to a more specific:

• time period, such as the Civil War, 1920s or Eighteenth Century
• location, such as the Michigan lakeshore, urban (as opposed to rural), the Middle East
• population, such as young adults, Mexican-Americans, athletes
• event or a particular aspect of a broader question, such as government regulations in regard to cloning, or the Pacific theater in WWI