Question Details

Prior to beginning this assignment,

• Read Module 1 in your course textbook.
• Watch the GEN103 Annotated Bibliography (Links to an external site.) and Picking Your Topic IS Research  (Links to an external site.)videos.
• Review the Week 5 Annotated Bibliography Example  download, and the 4 Easy Steps to Using the Ashford Library for Background Research  download, Possible Topics for Research  download, and How to Ask an Open-Ended Question  handouts  download.
• Download and review the Week 1 Research Topic and Question worksheet  downloadthat you will complete and turn in for this assignment.

This week, you will develop a research question for your annotated bibliography:

1. Choose a research topic.
2. Explore your topic.
3. 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  downloadhandout if you need ideas. It is recommended that you review the GEN103 Week 1 Assignment example  download.

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  download.

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  downloadis 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