Library libguides: The research process on the Extended Essay: 1. Define

1. Define

research process

The first step in the research process is to define what your research is going to focus on.

At this stage you need to explore:

what are my possible topics?
what do I know about those topics?
which words would be good search terms and keywords?
what is my research question?

See this page for:

Help with defining your research question
Directions for using the Questia Topic Finder

Within this section of the guide you will find ideas for useful resources to help you choose a research topic. You will also find details on a number of online tools to help organize your thoughts and your work. Explore some of the options and find the ones which suit your needs best. See:

Using Brainstorming and Mind Maps
Identifying key words
Finding background information
Managing your time

Help with Defining Your Research Question

Senior Project Topic Ideas
Explains what makes a good topic and what topics can be the basis for a Senior Project, and gives some sample topic ideas in a number of different subject areas, such as history, English literature, and science and technology, and the arts.
Practice exercise for Senior Project: Formulating well-focused research questions
Developing a narrow, focused research question is an integral part of the Senior Project process. A research question will provide a path to guide you through your research and writing. This practice exercise guides you through the steps necessary to write a well-focused research question.

Questia Topic Finder

Looking for a topic? Try using Questia's Topic Finder!

click on MENU in the upper-right
click on WRITING CENTER
click on 'Topic Finder' in the menu on the left

Once in Topic Finder, you can either:

enter in a keyword, if you have an idea in mind, and see what books and articles Questia has on your topic

click on the Topic idea generator button

Choose one of sixteen general subject areas from the drop-down menu, or for something truly random, leave it at 'All Subjects' and click the big SPIN button. Three topics will come up; click on one to see the related Questia resources.