Research Plan
As part of your research plan, you must first draft a research question for your research paper that will guide the rest of your writing. A research question, which is more specific and focused than a general topic, is the question that your research paper will answer.
For example, if your general area of interest is social security, a possible research question might ask, “How can low-income families save more money if the United States had a reformed social security plan that includes personal retirement accounts?”
As you develop a research question, remember that you need to research sources to support your topic. Do not pick a one-sided question that will limit your research. Instead, develop a research question that lends itself to further exploration and debate—a question you genuinely want to know the answer to.
Try to pick a research question that is neither too broad (covering too much) or too narrow (covering too little). It should be broad enough to be discussed in a short research paper.
Part 1: Complete the Research Plan
What is your general topic or area of interest? | I chose Television and Children | What is it about your general topic that interests you? | Why do they allow explicit language and behavior to be viewed by under aged children? | What questions do you have about the topic that you would like to investigate? List them. | 1. Appropriate age to watch certain shows? 2. Does TV viewing take the place of other activities? 3. Can a very young child understand what they are watching? 4. Can parental rules influence TV watching? 5. Does it matter what young children watch? 6. How prevalent is TV in the lives of children? | Would any of the questions you listed make a good subject for a research paper? Pick or adapt one question and make it into a research question. | How can TV viewing impact the live of a very young child? | Why do you think this research