HOW TO BEGIN THE RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT

**Defining Your Purpose**
What is the assignment for this paper?  Who is the audience?

EXAMPLE: The assignment for this paper is to take an ethical issue in advertising and analyze said issue.  My audience consists of peers who don’t know anything about my topic.

**Identifying a Possible Subject**
From that purpose, what is your subject area you want to explore?

EXAMPLE: At first, nothing came to me, but as we discussed the topic in class, I thought of fast-food commericals and how they target young children. I want to know when the targeting of young children first became practice with fast food companies and why they target children in the first place.

**Narrowing the Subject**
From your subject above, what specific topic/idea do you want to develop in your paper?

EXAMPLE: I did an EbscoHost search on fast food advertisements and children, and many sources appeared. It seems there is a direct correlation between between the increase in advertisements and the increase in childhood obesity. Shouldn't these fast food companies be held responsible for their actions?

**Choosing Your Topic**
Write out your statement of purpose. (“I will write….” “I am choosing to write…”)

EXAMPLE: I will write about why fast food companies should be held responsible for their advertisements targeting a very young audience, leading to obesity in children.

**Forming a Research Question**
Take your statement of purpose/topic, and create a question about it.  This is the question you will answer in your paper and support with your research.  The question should not be able to be answered with a yes/no.

BAD EXAMPLE: Should fast food companies be held responsible for advertising to America's youth?  This question can be answered with a yes/no.

GOOD EXAMPLE: If fast food companies are to blame for advertising to an increasingly younger audience, thus causing childhood obesity, what action should be taken against these companies?

 

Helpful Links:

CSUB Library Homepage

“How to Narrow Down a Subject”

“Research Question Checklist”

"How to Write a Research Paper"