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ASRC 3507: African American Literature: Research Process

Research Plan

The research process is a series of multiple steps. Look at creating a research plan. Your instructor may have given you a topic/question to research or the freedom to come up with your own topic/question. Just take a few moments to think about the following: 

  1. What am I trying to accomplish?
  2. How interested am I in this idea?
  3. How much time do I have?
  4. What information and resources are available? 
  5. Does your issue have sub-topics that you need to know more about? 
  6. What is the assigned length of the research paper?

What is a bibliography?

What is a bibliography?

A bibliography is a list of works on a subject or by an author that were used or consulted to write a research paper, book or article. It can also be referred to as a list of works cited. It is usually found at the end of a book, article or research paper. 

What is an annotated bibliography?

An annotated bibliography is a list of research resources on a chosen topic which includes a descriptive and evaluative paragraph. Each source has a citation style like APA. A key purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy and quality of the source in relation to the chosen topic.

For more information on creating an annotated bibliography see: https://guides.library.cornell.edu/annotatedbibliography

From Questions to Keywords

Writing a Research Question

Writing Strong Research Questions: 

Published on October 26, 2022 by Shona McCombes. Revised on August 15, 2023. For the original essay with more details visit: https://www.scribbr.com/research-process/research-questions/

research question pinpoints exactly what you want to find out in your work. A good research question is essential to guide your research paper, dissertation, or thesis.

All research questions should be:

  • Focused on a single problem or issue
  • Researchable using primary and/or secondary sources
  • Feasible to answer within the timeframe and practical constraints
  • Specific enough to answer thoroughly
  • Complex enough to develop the answer over the space of a paper or thesis
  • Relevant to your field of study and/or society more broadly