NCLT 106: Research Writing

Example 1: Weight and Health

Possible topics:

• The relationship between body weight and health--does very high or very low body weight cause certain health problems? What other factors are involved (like genetics, exercise, eating habits)?
• How do factors like where you live, socioeconomic status, the type of work you do, your family and social environments, your race, gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, and/or ethnicity affect weight and health?
• How are people of different body sizes represented on TV and in movies? What do these representations suggest about how our society views people based on body size?

Example 2: National Parks

Possible topics:

• When and why were national parks formed? Do they still serve the same purpose?
• What conservation efforts take place in national parks? Who is involved, and what do they focus on? (e.g. animals, plants, landscape, waterways, etc.)
• How does tourism affect national parks? Do we need to limit the number of people who can visit the parks annually?

Example 3: Electric Cars

Possible topics:

• What are the differences between electric cars and gasoline cars? Are electric cars really better for the environment? What goes in to producing and powering them?
• Are more people driving electric cars now than before? Why do people choose electric vs. gas cars? What are the costs and benefits for individuals driving electric cars?
• What government policies affect how and where electric cars and other vehicles (e.g. buses) are used? How has increased use of electric buses affected cities that adopt them? Is it better for cities to adopt electric buses vs. gasoline ones?

During the process of developing your topic, it is important to be specific about what you are writing, especially if you begin with a very broad topic, like our example of National Parks. There are a lot of ways to approach this topic, so we want to get specific and drill down on the topic by asking the questions we often think of in relation to journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How:

The above visualization asks sense-making questions Who, What, When, and How to help writers focus on the specifics of their topic of research. In our National Parks, we could answer the sense making questions after watching the video linked in the example:

• Who: visitors to national parks, Native American tribes
• What: Land that belonged to Native American tribes became national parks
• Where: the western United States, Glacier National Park, Yosemite National Park
• When: Formation of the national parks in the late 1800s/early 1900s, debates about land management and use today
• Why: To set aside land for recreation; environmental protection and conservation
• How: Treaties with Native American tribes; passing laws in Congress to protect land

It will probably help to do some preliminary research in an encyclopedia or on the web while you answer these. You don't have to answer ALL of the questions, but getting specific about even a few will help you focus your research and get you on your way to being able to identify and access sources and write a strong, compelling paper!

One of the easiest ways to make some decisions about your topic is to try to explain it to a friend. Here are a few tips for "talking it out." We talk our friends through lots of issues in our lives, and writing is no different! If you are a person who processes things verbally or needs to say something out loud before you can write, then this is the strategy for you.

Here are a few tips to get started:

• Try to develop a 2 sentence explanation of your topic that includes enough specifics that a stranger can understand it. Think of it as an "elevator speech."
• Talk through one point that you are interested in writing about and try to demonstrate why it's important through the use of examples. 

Let your friend ask questions. Here are some suggestions:

• What do you want people to know/do when you are done writing?
• What is the most important aspect of your topic?
• Tell me why you care about this? What made you decide to write about this?
• What are you most frustrated about? What are you stuck on?
• What do you need to do to finish?

Write down your topic and make a list of broader terms above it, and narrower, more specific terms below it.

Example:

Wilderness

Protected land

National Parks

Glacier National Park

Blackfeet Nation

A lot of people like to create a mind map to help them brainstorm. Start by writing your topic in the center of a page, and start adding related ideas around it. Use arrows and lines to relate the ideas to one another. Use a pen and paper, or check out the links below the example for some free digital tools to create your mind map!

Created by Sarah Sahn using bubbl.us, 2022.