It is now time to propose a question for your final paper. It is important to develop a good research question to define your future research project. Here are some qualities that your research question should have:
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It should be a question that you are genuinely interested in. It might be something that is related to what you are majoring in, but it doesn’t have to be–you probably have many interests outside your major as well.
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It should be a question that you don’t already know the answer to. Why would you bother to research a question if you already know the answer to it?!
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It should be a question that is valuable to other people. Think: what kind of contribution could you make with this research project?
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It should end with a question mark. This might seem silly, but often, at first, you will think of a topic that isn’t really a question. Make sure that you think about how to frame your interest as a question that you will work to answer.
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It should be a question that helps you to focus your work. Be careful to make your topic narrow enough, because if you make your topic too broad, you will not be able to explore it in depth in the time you have to work on it this semester.
You will develop a proposal and submit your question for approval to your instructor.
Remember, your research question must be related to the theme that we have been working on this semester –coffee.
Guidelines for proposal
Your proposal will address your research question explaining what you plan to accomplish and how you are going to do it. It should be 300-500 words long.
Your proposal should include the following:
• Research question and sub-questions
Identify the main question you would like to answer in your research: this is your research question. Then, identify 3-6 smaller questions that will help you to answer your research question. These questions might address specific aspects of the topic or definitions included in your research question.