Effective, stress-free research begins with establishing a solid, manageable topic. The Five Ws, a method employed by journalists, can help you define a workable research focus. Review the Five Ws below and use the handout provided to narrow down your topic.
WHO? ... asks you to consider an individual or select population with whom your research is concerned. This could be a character in a short story, a class of machines, a species of plant or animal, a group of people, etc.
WHAT?...asks you consider a specific aspect or element that directly concerns or impacts the chosen individual or population.
WHEN?...asks you to consider an appropriate timeframe to which you might limit your research focus. Depending on your topic, an appropriate timeframe could encompass a single day or several centuries.
WHERE?...asks you to consider an appropriate geographical location to which you might limit your research focus. Depending on your topic, an appropriate geographical location could encompass a single city block or an entire continent.
WHY?...asks you to consider the reasons for which your research on this particular topic is important and meaningful.
Writing a research paper is a journey that requires time and a bit of inspiration, these databases and guides may spark your interest.
ok, let's talk about the elephant in the room, why shouldn't you just Google? Well, the information databases provide is superior and can be tailor to your research subject, below are the specifics.
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Databases- Proquest central, Academic search complete, etc |
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| Number of hits |
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| Relevance |
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| Access to Published Information |
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The goal of a peer-review article is to assess the quality of work submitted for publication in a scholarly journal. An article is deemed appropriate to be published in an academic journal after it undergoes the following process.
