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The research Essay process
Lori Mullooly
Created on September 23, 2024
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How your research process may feel
The research Essay process
Identify topic
Background reading
Narrow topic
Formulate research question
Find and evaluate sources
Formulate thesis
Write and cite
Research is:
- Iterative
- Recursive
- About discovery
library.westpoint.edu
find and evaluate sources
Use SCOUT and databases from the USMA Library website to find primary and/or secondary sources about your research question.
Narrow your topic
After reading about the topic, it is time to narrow down the scope of your research. Two methods of achieving this are:
- Limit by geographic location
- Limit by time period
formulate thesis
A thesis is the answer to the reserach question you began with. For example, if your research question was: Why did the demographics of the West Point Corps of Cadets change between 1970 and 1990? Your thesis could be: The demographics of the West Point Corps of Cadets changed between 1970 and 1990 because of reasons x, y, and z.
Background reading
Background reading:
- Provides a general overview and context for the topic
- Is usually secondary source material
- Is essential for narrowing your topic and formulating a research question
Formulate Research Question
For academic work, we formulate complex questions based on our curiosity, and conduct research to lead us toward an answer. For this process, research questions should be:
- Interesting
- Clear
- Complex
- Focused
- And most importantly: researchable
Identify a topic
Topics may be
- Assigned by a professor for a paper or project
- Something of personal interest for your own independent reserach
- Intially very large in scope
How your research process may feel
The research Essay process
Identify topic
Background reading
Narrow topic
Formulate research question
Find and evaluate sources
Formulate thesis
Write and cite
Write and cite
As you write your paper, don't forget to cite all of your sources. Why cite?
- Give credit to the ideas of others
- To participate in the scholarly conversation
- Provide readers a path to follow back through the development of your ideas
- Add authority to your work
- Avoid plagiarism
- Place your work in context