Narrowing From Topic to Question
Next, you need to narrow your topic to an actual researchable question, make sure it's narrow enough, and then search for evidence about that controversial nutrition question (as you’ll do throughout course for your final wiki assignment). The background information you found in your initial search should help.
ACTIVITY: Ask the Right Question
To figure out how to form your research question, read this tutorial on the 5Ws method of question formation and complete the quiz at the end.
Stating a research question
State your controversy in the form of a research question
Let's say I'm interested in obesity and pediatric diabetes.
If you need more help in forming your research question, the 5Ws method can help! Also, think in terms of input and output - if you add X to someone's system, what's the effect on Y?
Too Broad? Too Narrow?
Don't make your topic too broad or narrow. Change the dependent variable in your question or consider a specific population to broaden or narrow your topic. We'll discuss this more in Module 3.
- obesity and health (Too broad)
- obesity and its effect on diabetes
- obesity and its effect on pediatric diabetes
- obesity and its effect on Type 2 diabetes in toddlers (Too narrow)