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Writing a Research Question: Home

Rewrite Your Topic as a Research Question

Taking a little time at the start of your research to really think about your topic will save you time later on.  Rewriting your topic as a question is a good way to focus your research and later can be reworked into your thesis statement. 

First, consider your purpose for the paper:
Is it to inform or persuade?  Go back and look at the assignment if needed.  Does it contain words like explain or describe?  If so, your paper is probably intended to be informative. If it uses words like argue, prove, or defend it is probably persuasive. 

How would this change my research question?

Let's say you chose veganism as your topic.

If it is an informative paper, your research question might be:
What are the basic principles of a vegan diet?

If it is a persuasive paper, your research question might be:
How is a vegan diet healthier?

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