a research worksheet

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Research Worksheets and Handouts

• Getting Started
• Evaluating Sources
• General Research

Getting Started Having trouble getting your research rolling? These handouts and worksheets can get you past that initial hurdle.

Topic Identification worksheet (pdf) This graphic organizer will help you understand your assignment, identify and focus your topic, create a search strategy and find sources in 6 easy steps! For more information about research topics, visit www.codlrc.org/research101/topics

Developing Your Research Question (pdf) An infographic of journalistic questions that can help you brainstorm potential research questions.

Finding Evidence worksheet (pdf) Before you start your research, consider what evidence you’ll need to support your claims and think about how to find it.

Subject vs. Keyword Searching (pdf) Learn how to use keyword searching and subject searching together to find what you're looking for in the Library catalog and article databases.

Boolean Logic, Truncation, and Nesting (pdf) An introduction to advanced search techniques you can use to help you find information efficiently and effectively.

Advanced Research Search Strategies and Techniques (pdf) A quick reference for the types of advanced searching techniques you can use in databases, the Library catalog and in search engines.

Tips for Evaluating Information (pdf) Whether a resource is print or electronic, text-based or image-based, researchers must carefully evaluate the quality of the source and the information found within. When evaluating the quality of resources, here are some things to consider.

CRAAP Test (pdf) Do your sources pass the CRAAP Test? Use this guide to help you consider whether a source is appropriate for your research needs.

Source Evaluation Worksheet (pdf) Use this form to help you determine if a source is appropriate for your research. For more information about evaluating sources, visit www.codlrc.org/evaluating/sources

Research Article Anatomy (pdf) Reading research gets easier once you understand and recognize the pieces and purposes of research studies, from abstract to references.

Reading (and Understanding) Research (pdf) Adapted from How to Read and Understand a Scientific Paper: A Guide for Non-Scientists by J. Raff.

Introduction to College Research (pdf) Helpful resources for every stage of the research process.

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English 151

• Pick a Topic & Develop a Research Question
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Pick a topic and develop a good research question

The first step in writing a research paper is choosing a good topic. Your topic will have to be something that falls within the guidelines provided by your instructor, and should also be something that you find interesting and would like to learn more about.  However, a good research paper involves more than choosing an interesting topic and reporting information on it.  A research paper should attempt to critically analyze a complex problem, and that means you need to develop a focused research question, which is essential to the research process.  By defining exactly what you are trying to find out, your research question influences most of the rest of the steps taken to conduct your research. Follow the guides below to help you choose a topic and develop a good research question:

• Choosing a Topic A worksheet designed to help students brainstorm a topic for a research paper.
• Crafting a Research Question This is a worksheet designed to help students move from their chosen topic to a more focused research question.

Video: from topic to research question to keywords

Creating Research Questions

This section will help you consider a topic for your research paper that is interesting to you, and that is researchable using library resources. When you select a topic and focused research question, you’ll want to consider a few things:

• Does your section of ENG 151 have a theme? Does your professor want your research topic to correspond to that theme?
• What do YOU find interesting? You are going to spend hours reading information, thinking about how the information fits together, and then writing pages of critical analysis about your topic. This will be a more pleasant experience for you if you are genuinely interested in the topic you choose.
• Keep in mind that when you are searching for information about your topic, you can only find information that has been published This means you’re looking for a topic that other people are talking about, thinking about, and writing about. So, it needs to be interesting to you, but also to others.
• Don’t forget that you already know things! Many research papers start from the spark of an idea from something we hear or witness in the world around us.

Remember, your research question is NOT your thesis statement; it’s exploratory. If you start doing research and discover that people are writing articles about a more interesting (or easier to research) question, you can always adjust your question as you collect information.

The tools collected here will help you think about a topic that genuinely interests you, and develop a clear, concise, and researchable question based on that topic.

From Topic to Research Question

Your topic is the general, overarching area that you’re interested in, while the research question is a focused, smaller sliver of information you’re questioning within that topic. Topics are broad, while research questions are focused.

Topic: Urban Transportation

Research Questions could be…. “Why do some neighborhoods/communities oppose or advocate against creating bike lanes in their neighborhoods?” or “What factors increase or decrease the likelihood of electronic car adoption in urban environments?”

Topic: Immigration

Research Questions could be… “How has the United States’ handling of immigration changed from the Obama White House to the Trump White House?” and if that question ends up being too large or unwieldy, you can adjust it to something like, “What does living in a ‘Sanctuary City’ actually mean for undocumented students attending college in New York?” or “How have immigration policies affected families that live on either side of the Texas/Mexico border?” You can adjust your question based on what (and how much) information comes up in your searches.

What Makes a Research Question "Researchable"?

Good question! Coming up with a research question that leads you to a manageable paper is challenging and gets easier with practice. It’s a delicate balance between a few variables.

• OPEN questions versus SHUT questions: You want to ask a question that doesn’t have an obvious answer, something you can really grapple with. Your topic should have multiple points of view, aspects of it that people don’t all agree on. When the question is open-ended, you have more to investigate. If your question leads to a single point of view, or an obvious answer, you’re going to have a challenging time writing 10 or so pages about it. Shut question: why are vaccines bad? Open question: Where did the debate around vaccines start and why are some convinced vaccines are harmful? What does the science say about the efficacy of vaccines?
• SPECIFIC , rather than VAGUE . A good question tells you where to start your research right there in the question. A vague one will make you feel like you don’t know where to start, like you could be writing about almost anything. A question like “What does living in a ‘Sanctuary City’ actually mean for undocumented students attending college in New York?” gives you all the terms of the question: sanctuary cities, undocumented people, students, college, NYC. These are your search terms in the library databases! A vague question gives you nothing to hold onto. Vague version: How do folks feel about immigration. AHHHHHHHHH where do I start? Who are the folks? Why might they have feelings? Where are they coming from? Where do they live now?
• FOCUSED , rather than BROAD . The paper your professor wants you to write is not a report. (But you can use reports in your research!) You are not writing an overview of a huge topic, but rather a focused critical essay of close analysis. Your research question needs to be focused too. A broad question will leave you drowning in a sea of information that you can’t possibly synthesize in a few pages. Too broad: what is the history of slavery in the US? Focused: An exploratory analysis of the arguments (pro and con) around removing statues of southern civil war generals. This second question relates to slavery, but cuts the topic down to a focused (and researchable) issue.
• ANSWERABLE , but not OBVIOUS . Some of the universe’s interesting questions are not answerable in a research paper you’re writing in a few weeks (or perhaps at all). Why are there so many vampire movies? (Instead, analyze social themes brought up by one of them.) What makes men attack women? (Instead, investigate strategies people use to break the pattern of domestic abuse in relationships.)

Need ideas for topics? Check out these 2 databases

If you are still not sure what topic you would like to explore, the following 2 databases might help.  Click the Browse Issues button in the database to see an alphabetical list of issues:

• Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints Provides access to full text literature about current controversial issues such as abortion, capital punishment, climate change, cloning, gun control, immigration, and more. Available material on each topic includes viewpoint essays, topic overviews, newspaper and magazine articles, statistics, and links to related web sites.
• CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window Full text reports written by seasoned journalists about current social, political, and economic issues. Includes topics in health, education, international affairs, public policy, the environment, technology, and the economy. Each report includes a concise overview of an issue, historical background, opposing arguments, statistics and polls, and suggestions for further reading. Great place to begin research on current affairs issues. Coverage Dates: 1991 to present
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Research Guide

• RESEARCH WORKSHEET
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• Search Strategies

Take notes during your research process

• Library Research Worksheet Click the link and a Word version of the worksheet will download to your computer for completing and printing.
• Library Research Worksheet Click the link and a PDF version of the worksheet will download to your computer for printing.

The Library Research Worksheet is a resource that you can print out and use to take notes during your research process. Note-taking while you research is highly recommended because it helps you organize your thoughts and findings, and it keeps you on track when you have to divide your research time into several sessions. The worksheet guides you through the steps of developing your topic, figuring out how to search for information, evaluating search results and citing sources.

See an example of the research process

This document is the Library Research Worksheet completed with an example topic to help you understand the research process a little better.

• Library Research Worksheet Example
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*Research Help*: Research Worksheet

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Systematic Serendipity

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Research Worksheet

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Research Worksheet Printable versions

• Rersearch Worksheet Printable Word document. Feel free to download and print.
• Research Worksheet Printable PDF version. Feel free to download and print.

How to do Research

Read this in conjunction with the Research Worksheet in the next box to develop your research skills; learn to work smarter, not harder; and ensure your research efforts are efficient and effective.

In a phrase, research is the process of  “USING SOURCES TO FIND MORE SOURCES” (aka Systematic Serendipity) . Here you will find a brief explanation of the basic steps involved in research while applying this principle.

Select and Focus a Topic :

Select a topic . If you can select your own topic, pick something that is of interest to you and for which there are sufficient resources available. Be careful not to select a topic that is too broad or too narrow but make sure you limit your topic to just  one  concept. Use this focusing exercise to guide you in the early stages of your search.

Turn your topic into a title . Allow yourself the freedom to change the title, outline and even the topic as your research informs your ideas.

Write a thesis statement or statement of purpose : what one question do you want to answer about this one topic. Asking yourself who, what, when, where and why about the topic will help you focus where you want to go with it. 

Develop a Preliminary Outline . Use the keywords from the title and thesis statement as key search terms and as the basis for a preliminary outline. This will help guide you in the early stages of your research. It will inevitably change as you gather information and refocus your topic.

Identify terminology:   Make a list of what you already know from off the top of your head:  authors, titles, and keywords. Think about synonyms, broader terms, narrower terms and related terms, alternate spellings, scientific or technical terms as well as common terms.

An extremely valuable tool to further assist you in identifying good search terms is the  Library of Congress Subject Headings Online  (LCSH) <https://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects.html> search platform. Here you can look up your common, colloquial concepts to find universally recognized subject headings. Also, use LCSH Online to discover how your selected terms fit within their related subject hierarchies (click on <Church work> below).

For example a search for <ministry> leads to <Lay ministry> which in turn retrieves this useful information:

·  Variants

·         Ministry, Lay

·         Volunteer workers in church work

·  Broader Terms

·          Church work

·  Narrower Terms

·          Lay preaching

·          Lay readers

·          Lord's Supper--Lay administration

·          Lord's Supper--Lay celebration

·  Related Terms

·          Laity

·          Priesthood, Universal

·          Volunteer workers in Christian education

Get Background Information:    Get acquainted with your topic by searching broad range tools like encyclopedias and dictionaries. In addition to general information on the subject, these will give you a basic outline, the broad parameters of your topic, a bibliography of highly recommended sources as well as a recognized expert in the field. This will help you focus your research topic as well as enhance your understanding of the topic as you read more detailed resources.  The bibliographies and authors of encyclopedia articles are excellent sources for further research, which is a prime example of Systematic Serendipity , i.e., using sources to find more sources . To easily identify encyclopedias and dictionaries on any topic, use the Discovery Catalog with this formula: <su:encyclopedias OR dictionaries> *  then whatever your topic, either as a subject or as a keyword. Like this:

su:encyclopedias OR dictionaries AND “lay ministry”

su:encyclopedias OR dictionaries AND kw:”lay ministry”

If you can’t find anything on your specific topic, try searching its broader context (e.g. search the broader concept of “church work” if “lay ministry” doesn’t retrieve any results). Use the  LCSH Online   to identify broader, narrower, related terminology.

*NOTE :  the terms "encyclopedias" and "dictionaries"  must  be plural; OR  must  be in all caps

Tools to search .  Using the authors, titles and terminology you now have:

Go to the  Online Public Access Catalog  (OPAC) (i.e.  WorldCat Discovery   and  WorldCat Discovery Advanced  to locate library materials related to your topic.  Apply “Using sources to find more sources” to your search results (hit list) by examining the Subject field in the Description portion of each record. This will provide more appropriate terms with which to find more relevant resources. When you locate materials that are helpful, use their respective bibliographies to identify even more sources; another example of “Systematic Serendipity”

In addition to searching books, you may want current information not yet published in book form. Periodicals will need to be searched for the most current scholarly information available on a subject. Searching periodical indexes and abstracting sources will identify for you the articles available on your topic. These can be accessed through the  Discovery Catalog   by limiting the Resource Format to “Articles” or Content Type to “Peer Reviewed”. Better still, use “ Find Databases ” for a more focused search of specialized indexes and databases related to the selected category, i.e., ATLA Religion with Serials Plus, BAS Online, Christian Periodical Index. Use the authors, keywords and subject headings you discovered from your reading of encyclopedia articles, the records that you found in your Discovery catalog search and the bibliographies from the books you’ve discovered. 

Recommended Reading for help in Library Research:  Badke, William.  Research Strategies:  Finding Four Way Through the Information Fog, 5 ed. Bloomington, IN: IUniverse, Inc., 2021.  ISBN: 9781663218742. Call # 001.42/B142r/2021.

Use the Research Worksheet below to guide the early stages of your research. It is not necessary to fill in all the blanks; use only those that are relevant.

Last updated February 2024.

Use the Research Worksheet to help you walk through each step of the Research Process without losing your way.  Each step is designed so you can add any new information that you may find; No need to repeat the same information over and over again.  The lines are merely prompts.  Include as much or as little information as is needed for the research project.

  napkinwriter.wordpress.com 4322 × 2007   February 26,  2013

Select & Focus your Topic 1.  Select a topic: ___________________________________________ 2.  Turn your topic into a title:  _________________________________ 3.  Write a thesis/purpose statement: ___________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________

4.  Prepare a preliminary outline:  I.  Introduction II.  ___________________________________________________    A.  _________________________________________________    B.  _________________________________________________ III.  __________________________________________________    A.  _________________________________________________    B.  _________________________________________________    C.  _________________________________________________ IV.  __________________________________________________    A. __________________________________________________    B.  _________________________________________________ V.  Conclusion

 5.  List known terminology:  Authors: ______________________________________________  Titles of books or articles: ________________________________  Keywords: ____________________________________________

 5.1 LC Subject Headings ( click here to access): select a term(s) representative of your topic and search LCSH Online for universally recognized subject headings. Variants: ______________________________________________ Broader Terms: ________________________________________ Narrower Terms: _______________________________________ Related Terminology: ____________________________________

6.  Get background information from general/specialized encyclopedias: Discovery catalog: su:encyclopedias OR dictionaries AND [your topic].

Before you go any further, analyze your search results to retrieve the best sources: Use   Analyzing Search Results Worksheet

   Titles used:  1.  ___________________________________________________                        2.  ___________________________________________________                        3.  ___________________________________________________                        4.  ___________________________________________________                        5.  ___________________________________________________

Use Sources to find other sources :  Record here any newly discovered pertinent or relevant information gleaned from encyclopedia articles: Persons; article author: _____________________________________________ Places:  _________________________________________________________ Events:  _________________________________________________________ Keywords:  ______________________________________________________

Prepare a Bibliography adding selected titles from encyclopedias & dictionaries; put citations in proper style.

7.  Refocus topic based on information learned from encyclopedias and dictionaries as needed: Change Title: ____________________________________________________ Rewrite Thesis/Purpose Statement: __________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________

Adjust Outline: I.  Introduction II.  _________________________________________________________    A.  ________________________________________________________       1. _______________________________________________________       2.  _______________________________________________________ B.  ________________________________________________________       1.  _______________________________________________________       2.  _______________________________________________________    C.  ________________________________________________________       1.  _______________________________________________________       2.  _______________________________________________________ III.  _________________________________________________________    A.  ________________________________________________________       1.  _______________________________________________________       2.  _______________________________________________________    B.  ________________________________________________________       1.  _______________________________________________________       2.  _______________________________________________________    C.  ________________________________________________________       1.  _______________________________________________________       2.  _______________________________________________________ IV.  _________________________________________________________    A.  ________________________________________________________    B.  ________________________________________________________    C.  ________________________________________________________ V.  Conclusion

Tools to Search  8.  Search the Discovery catalog: use searchable access points identified from 5 & 6 above. 

Analyze your search results to retrieve the best sources: Use  Analyze Search Results Worksheet

 Use Sources to find other sources:  Record any new relevant searchable access points gleaned from bibliographic records:  Dewey Decimal number(s): _________________________________________  Subject Headings:  ___________________________________  Authors:  ______________________________________________  Keywords/Descriptors (from Tables of Contents, Notes, Titles):  __________________________________

Bibliography :  Add selected citations to bibliography (in proper style); very briefly annotate each title; indicate why each title has been chosen and which part of the outline it will support:

9.  Select appropriate Periodical Indexes:  from the Library’s Web site select Find Databases. Use A-Z Databases list       _______________________________________________________       _______________________________________________________       _______________________________________________________

Devise Boolean Search Strategies for each database * and index (as needed):        _______________________________________________________       _______________________________________________________

*NOTE : online databases use these field codes: SU , AU ,TI , and TX  for subject, author, title and keyword respectively. Include a space after each code and before the search terms.

Apply Limits peculiar to each database and index:        _______________________________________________________       _______________________________________________________

Bibliography :  Add titles to the bibliography (in proper style); very briefly annotate each title; indicate why each title has been chosen and which part of the outline it will support. 

10.  Select appropriate Web sites.  Use Scholarly Internet Search Engines compiled and maintained by librarians and scholars (work smarter not harder):         

11.  Use Sources to find other sources:  Record any new relevant additional searchable access points gleaned from each article, book, bibliographic record, Web site used:    Authors: __________________________________________________    Persons:  _________________________________________________    Places:  __________________________________________________    Events:  __________________________________________________    Keywords:  ________________________________________________    DDC/LC numbers: __________________________________________    LC Subject Headings:  _______________________________________    Bibliographies; Cited References - add to your own bibliography if useful.

12. Evaluate each resource found (use Evaluating Sources ).

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Writing a Research Paper in Political Science: A Practical Guide to Inquiry, Structure, and Methods

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Worksheets to help students through the process of writing a research paper.

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Steps in the Research Process: Developing Research Questions Worksheet

• Research Process Overview
• Finding a Topic
• Refine Your Topic
• Background Information
• Developing Research Questions Worksheet
• Identify Keywords
• Find Books and Media
• Find Articles in Library Databases
• Website Evaluation
• Google Scholar
• Citation/Plagiarism

Developing Research Questions

Types of Research Questions

Good academic communication should include an introduction in which your topic and thesis is clearly defined, an analysis of your topic, and a clear conclusion.

Start out by introducing your topic, communicating to your audience why the topic is important, and providing enough background information to allow your audience to understand the analysis that is about to take place. Your introduction is also the logical place to embed your thesis.

Examples of defining/introductory questions:

o What is _________________?

o Why is ____________ an important issue?

o What background information is necessary to understand ______________?

o What are the different types of ____________?

All academic research demands analysis. Some projects lend themselves well to a cause/effect structure ("What caused hip-hop to emerge and what are some of the effects its had on American culture?), while other assignments require a pro/con format ("What are the positive aspects of stem cell research? What are some of the negative implications?). Some projects can easily conform to both modes.

Examples of analytical/body questions:

o What are the causes of ________________?

o What are the effects of ________________?

o What are the “pro” arguments about_______________?

o What are the “con” arguments about ______________?

o How can I refute arguments about ______________?

o What is being done about ______________?

Your conclusion allows you to demonstrate to your instructor that you have synthesized the information you found and clearly answered your thesis question (informative projects) or effectively proven your thesis statement (persuasive/argumentative assignments).

Examples of concluding questions:

o What do I think should be done about ________________?

o Based on my research what do I think about ________________ and why?

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• Developing a Research Question + Worksheet

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2 - 5 minutes

Description

Learn how to take a broad topic and develop it into a research question that will define the scope of your project. 

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• Developing_a_Research_Question [ PDF ]

Your research guides your project from beginning to completion. Unlike your topic, which may be fairly general, your research question will define the specific scope of your project. In other words, the research question tells readers what you're trying to find out. 

Develop your Research Question

• Define the topic area: In a sentence or two, describe your broad topic or area of research. (Example: Smoking cessation.)
• Describe the problem: In a sentence or two, describe a problem that could be addressed in your topic or area of research. (Example: "Smokers often relapse because of complex physical and psychological factors.)
• Specify the gap and justify the investigation: What is unknown or unresolved? Why should we bother investigating it? (Example: We don't know what combination of physical and pscyological factors is most often associated with smoking relapse.)
• Brainstorm as many questions as you can think of that relate to your research topic/problem/gap. Try starting questions with what, why, where, who, and how; in general, avoid questions that will result in only "yes" or "no" answers. 
• Draft a primary question: Do you see one main question emerging from the list above? If not, try doing some additional reading or thinking, or talk to your supervisor or instructor (Example: How do the physiological and psychological effects of smoking make it difficult for young adults to quit smoking?)
• Draft a secondary research questions: What information do you need to gather to answer you primary question? (Example: Before we can answer the question of "how" physiological and psychological effects make it difficult to quit smoking, we need to identify what the key effects are.)

Assess & Refine

Evaluate your research question. Ask yourself the following questions: will readers understand it on first reading? Is it feasible given your time and resources? Does it contribute to a wider academic conversation?

Talk it over: Use this worksheet to talk with your supervisor or instructor about the scope and direction of your research plan.

Tighten your Focus. Look at every word in your question. Replace as many as you can with more specific language or ideas (e.g., instead of "students," say "Grade 9 students in Ontario").

Revisit often! Keep your research question in mind throughout the research and writing process. 

You may find that you need to adapt your research question as you learn more. 

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Home > English Language Arts Worksheets > Research

When we identify a problem or issue that we need further clarification on we will research a solution. We can use a multitude of different sources that have previously encounter this and come up with some level of understanding of the nature of what we are dealing with. Research normally starts with first identifying a problem. This can also be called forming the research question. The next step is to learn more by reading through available literature to others who have already tackled this problem. What did they learn? What can you build off of? The next step is to evaluate the sources of the studies you have examined. Who wrote them and are they valid sources? The last step is to identify a solution to your problem based on what you have learned. The research worksheets below will run you through several steps of the process to help you gain insight as how to research your own work.

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Printable research worksheets, click the buttons to print each worksheet and answer key..

Research: What is Healthy Food?

To research sometimes means to study something carefully and in detail in order to establish facts and draw new conclusions. Research can be conducted in any way that you can use to learn new information: books, magazines, documentaries, the Internet, etc.

Finding Keywords

The better you are able to identify the information that you are looking for online, the easier it will be for you to find it. Start by identifying as specifically and as completely as possible what kind of information you are looking for.

Choosing Resources

Different kinds of resources provide different kinds of information on a given topic. Knowing which resource to use to find the information that you are looking for is an important research skill.

Research a Local Business

This provides you with a series of questions that will help you take a deep dive into a local business to better understand it.

What Pet is Right for You?

Fill out the organizer with information about the kind of pet you think might best fit into your family.

Endangered Animals

The Future of Our Planet

Conduct some initial research to determine what threats our planet is currently facing. Based on your research, what are the three greatest threats facing our planet in the next 50 years?

Research Resources

Different kinds of resources provide different kinds of information on a given topic. Depending on what kind of information you are looking for, some resources may be better for you to use than others.

My State Report

You will take some time to research a US State of your choice and answer this series of 4 worksheets that are helpful to understand the nature of your state.

Bibliography

List the sources you used to complete your report. Include the author’s name and the title for books. For websites, include the URL and the title of the online article.

Creating a Working Thesis

What are some questions you have about your topic? Try to think of at least one question for each question word: who, what, where, when, why, and how.

You can use a technique called clustering to help you organize information as you conduct your research. Clustering is a way to sort information as you find it by putting like things together and identifying different subtopics that fall under a single topic. Use the organizer below to take notes on your research. You can also use this technique to map how different ideas are related to each other.

Research Project Prep

New Technologies

Conduct initial research to see what kinds of new technologies are expected to become common in the next decade. Choose one that interests you.

Organizing Facts

For this assignment you will practice finding and organizing information about a topic. Choose from one of the topics below. Use at least 5 sources to find out as much about your chosen topic as you can. Use the organizer to take notes, grouping your notes according to what they are about.

Get Into Sports

You will go deep into a deep look into a sport of your choice. This consists of 4 pages.

A great way to cite all your sources.

What Is the Research Process?

When we identify a problem or issue that we need further clarification on we will research a solution. We can use a multitude of different sources that have previously encounter this and come up with some level of understanding of the nature of what we are dealing with.

Research is the core of any investigation process. Whether you need to test scientific studies, language surveys, or make minute calculations, you may need to have familiarity with the research procedure. Research methods can vary based on the field of work. However, the goal of all research activities is the same. The research process refers to understanding a problem and testing it under specific conditions.

To understand how a typical research process works, we have listed below the core steps to help you.

Steps of Research Process

Problem Identification

The first step in the process is to identify the problem. You may need to analyze if the problem complies with research demands. Problem is a relative term whose meaning varies under different environments. To distinguish between researchable problems and non-research issues, you may use a few intuitive indicators.

Any problem you can verify, analyze, and test under specific conditions may refer to a research problem.

Reviewing Literature

The second step in the process is to review the relevant literature. As a researcher, you may need to study existing phenomena closely related to your research question. You may need to gather helpful knowledge to support your thesis. Research scientists often study extensive literature to determine if someone researched the same problem in history.

Digging deeper into the facts enables you to find the gaps in the literature. Your research may contribute to filling the gaps.

Formulating Hypotheses

You can reshape your research problem into a refined statement in the third step. It is worth noting that your research question(s) may vary before and after the literature review, depending on your findings. A hypothesis is a proposition that you can test, support, or refute using empirical data. Hypothesis typically asserts a possible answer to the research question.

You can define multiple propositions during your research to test and evaluate.

Research Model

Once you define your hypotheses, you can now choose the optimum framework for testing procedures. Your research model can vary based on your hypotheses and field of study. The most common research designs include surveys, experiments, secondary data analysis, and observational studies.

After careful consideration, you may choose one or more of the above-listed models to test your hypotheses.

After choosing your research model, you can proceed to the sampling phase. In this step, you need to collect samples based on your model. For example, if you conduct a survey, you may need to define your population based on demographics. There are different types of sampling, including simple, random, stratified, cluster, and systematic sampling.

In some cases, you may opt for multistage sampling and probability proportional to size (PPS) sampling.

Data Collection

After deciding on the sampling model, you can proceed with data collection. This step requires extra care. You may not want to make any mistakes in collecting data. Human errors can lead to altered results. Depending on the data type (quantitative or qualitative), the collection method can vary.

Quantitative collection methods include questionnaires, interviews, and secondary sources like public records. On the other hand, qualitative collection methods cover in-depth interviews, observational studies, and group discussions.

Data Analysis

Once you collect the data, you can analyze it using evaluation tools. You may start with the coding of data and discard flawed samples. Coding helps you process data and perform systematic analysis based on the key variables. To draw formal conclusions, you may analyze the size, patterns, and other statistical information.

Reporting Results

In the final stage, you can create a formal report identifying the results of the research problem. You can include an abstract, background, literature review, methodology, findings, discussion, conclusion, and recommendations in the report.

Wrapping Up

The above-listed steps of the research method can help you carry out thorough research in any field of work. While evaluation methods and sampling techniques may vary, the formal research method remains the same.

How Do I Find Research Worksheets?

• Blank Research Worksheets
• Sample Research Worksheet
• Boolean Operators
• Truncation or Wildcard Symbols

Need to organize and record your research? Try using the following research worksheet as a template.

• Research Worksheet   (Word)
• Research Worksheet  (PDF)   
• Accessible Research Worksheet   (Word)
• Accessible Research Worksheet  (PDF)

†  Concepts  To develop a list of words for each concept in your topic …

• check citations, abstracts, articles and bibliographies to identify terms used by authors writing in the field
• review subject headings, descriptors and thesaurus terms used for the topic in catalogues, databases and other search tools
• continue to add words that come up frequently in your searching

​  ††  Combining Words using Boolean Operators - AND, OR, NOT

• example: communication AND organizations
• results will  include all  stated words
• narrows search
• example: salary OR compensation OR income
• results will  include at least one  of the stated words
• broadens search
• example: galaxy NOT phone
• results will  exclude  stated word(s) following NOT

• without parentheses , search terms will automatically be processed from left to right; the  AND  operator will be processed  before  the  OR  operator, and the  NOT  operator will be processed  last
• to change the natural order of operations,  place parentheses  around words using the  OR  operator so that anything enclosed within parentheses is processed  first example: recruitment AND ( teachers OR professors OR instructors )

†††  Truncation or Wildcard Symbols …

• can vary depending on the search tool being used; the asterisk * is the most common, but a dollar sign $ or question mark ? are often used as well; check the help section of your database or search tool to determine which symbol to use
• manag *     finds manag e , manag ement , manag ing , manag er , manag eria l , etc.
• labo * r       finds both lab o r [U.S. spelling] and lab ou r [British/Canadian spelling]
• wom * n     finds both wom a n [singular] and wom e n [plural]
•  for example, man *  will find manag e  and manag ement , as well as man, man ic , man ufacture , Man itoba  and other unintended terms
• if truncation proves problematic, spell out the desired word variations in full using the Boolean operator OR between them, e.g., manage OR management
• typically broadens a search 
• Last Updated: Oct 21, 2023 6:45 PM
• URL: https://libguides.mcmaster.ca/research-worksheet

Evaluate Potential Topics With Ease

You’ve worked through some of the literature and identified a few potential research topics, but you’re not sure whether they really stack up. Or perhaps you’ve got two strong candidate topics and can’t decide which one is best…

Worry not . Our free research topic evaluation worksheet will help you fast-track your topic ideation and evaluation process. Using the worksheet, you’ll be able to systematically evaluate your prospective topics based on:

• Topic originality/novelty
• Value and significance
• Data access
• Equipment access
• Time constraints and requirements
• Literature base
• Supervisor accessibility
• Ethical considerations
• Personal appeal 
• Project risk

Best of all, the worksheet is completely free. So, download your copy today.

Not quite at the topic evaluation stage yet? No problem.

Here are a few resources that will help you find potential research ideas :

• Research gap 101
• How to find a research topic
• Our mega list of research topic ideas /thought starters

If you’re new to academic research, join our free Topic Ideation 101 webinar (below) to learn how to find a high-quality topic and develop your proposal. 

Prefer to get 1-on-1 help with your research topic? Be sure to check out our private coaching services , where we assist you through the topic ideation process.

Think Like a Researcher: Instruction Resources: #6 Developing Successful Research Questions

• Guide Organization
• Overall Summary
• #1 Think Like a Researcher!
• #2 How to Read a Scholarly Article
• #3 Reading for Keywords (CREDO)
• #4 Using Google for Academic Research
• #4 Using Google for Academic Research (Alternate)
• #5 Integrating Sources
• Research Question Discussion
• #7 Avoiding Researcher Bias
• #8 Understanding the Information Cycle
• #9 Exploring Databases
• #10 Library Session
• #11 Post Library Session Activities
• Summary - Readings
• Summary - Research Journal Prompts
• Summary - Key Assignments
• Jigsaw Readings
• Permission Form

Course Learning Outcome:   Develop ability to synthesize and express complex ideas; demonstrate information literacy and be able to work with evidence

Goal:  Develop students’ ability to recognize and create successful research questions

Specifically, students will be able to

• identify the components of a successful research question.
• create a viable research question.

What Makes a Good Research Topic Handout

These handouts are intended to be used as a discussion generator that will help students develop a solid research topic or question. Many students start with topics that are poorly articulated, too broad, unarguable, or are socially insignificant. Each of these problems may result in a topic that is virtually un-researchable. Starting with a researchable topic is critical to writing an effective paper.

Research shows that students are much more invested in writing when they are able to choose their own topics. However, there is also research to support the notion that students are completely overwhelmed and frustrated when they are given complete freedom to write about whatever they choose. Providing some structure or topic themes that allow students to make bounded choices may be a way mitigate these competing realities.

These handouts can be modified or edited for your purposes.  One can be used as a handout for students while the other can serve as a sample answer key.  The document is best used as part of a process.  For instance, perhaps starting with discussing the issues and potential research questions, moving on to problems and social significance but returning to proposals/solutions at a later date.

• Research Questions - Handout Key (2 pgs) This document is a condensed version of "What Makes a Good Research Topic". It serves as a key.
• Research Questions - Handout for Students (2 pgs) This document could be used with a class to discuss sample research questions (are they suitable?) and to have them start thinking about problems, social significance, and solutions for additional sample research questions.
• Research Question Discussion This tab includes materials for introduction students to research question criteria for a problem/solution essay.

Additional Resources

These documents have similarities to those above.  They represent original documents and conversations about research questions from previous TRAIL trainings.

• What Makes a Good Research Topic? - Original Handout (4 pgs)
• What Makes a Good Research Topic? Revised Jan. 2016 (4 pgs)
• What Makes a Good Research Topic? Revised Jan 2016 with comments

Topic Selection (NCSU Libraries)

Howard, Rebecca Moore, Tricia Serviss, and Tanya K. Rodrigues. " Writing from sources, writing from sentences ." Writing & Pedagogy 2.2 (2010): 177-192.

Research Journal

Assign after students have participated in the Developing Successful Research Topics/Questions Lesson OR have drafted a Research Proposal.

Think about your potential research question.

• What is the problem that underlies your question?
• Is the problem of social significance? Explain.
• Is your proposed solution to the problem feasible? Explain.
• Do you think there is evidence to support your solution?

Keys for Writers - Additional Resource

Keys for Writers (Raimes and Miller-Cochran) includes a section to guide students in the formation of an arguable claim (thesis).  The authors advise students to avoid the following since they are not debatable. 

• "a neutral statement, which gives no hint of the writer's position"
• "an announcement of the paper's broad subject"
• "a fact, which is not arguable"
• "a truism (statement that is obviously true)"
• "a personal or religious conviction that cannot be logically debated"
• "an opinion based only on your feelings"
• "a sweeping generalization" (Section 4C, pg. 52)

The book also provides examples and key points (pg. 53) for a good working thesis.

• << Previous: #5 Integrating Sources
• Next: Research Question Discussion >>
• Last Updated: Apr 26, 2024 10:23 AM
• URL: https://libguides.ucmerced.edu/think_like_a_researcher

50+ SAMPLE Research Worksheet in PDF | MS Word

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Worksheet: Compose a Research Question

Elayyan, Mona

This worksheet is a useful tool as you start developing your research question. It is based on the strategy discussed in the handout 'Compose a Research Question'.

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In the original meaning of the term, a worksheet is a sheet of paper that you use to perform work on. It is of several types and is most commonly associated with work assignments for children’s school, tax forms, and banking or other corporate environments. A research worksheet is a file that is used to document the research for which it is being made. It includes all the details of the project such as the location of the research work, the people involved, the details of the company , and other relevant information.

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College of Engineering

New approach could make reusing captured carbon far cheaper, less energy-intensive.

A team led by Marta Hatzell designed a new electrochemical reactor to seamlessly integrate into direct air capture systems and turn CO 2 into useful raw materials.

A new electrochemical reactor design developed with Marta Hatzell by postdoctoral scholar Hakhyeon Song (middle) and Ph.D. students Carlos Fernández and Po-Wei Huang (seated) converts carbon dioxide removed from the air into useful raw material. Their approach is cheaper and simpler while requiring less energy, making it a promising tool to improve the economics of direct air capture systems. (Photo: Candler Hobbs)

Engineers at Georgia Tech have designed a process that converts carbon dioxide removed from the air into useful raw material that could be used for new plastics, chemicals, or fuels.

Their approach dramatically reduces the cost and energy required for these direct air capture (DAC) systems, helping improve the economics of a process the researchers said will be critical to addressing climate change.

The key is a new kind of catalyst and electrochemical reactor design that can be easily integrated into existing DAC systems to produce useful carbon monoxide (CO) gas. It’s one of the most efficient such design ever described in scientific literature, according to lead researcher Marta Hatzell and her team. They published details April 16 in Energy and Environmental Science , a top journal for energy-related research.

“All of my team’s research projects focus on decarbonization, which I care about because of climate change, but this one in particular has the opportunity to make an impact and move toward commercialization more quickly,” said Hatzell, associate professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering . “That’s why publishing our work is important, to help get this technology out into the real world.”

Typically, the DAC process involves pulling carbon dioxide out of the air using some kind of chemical or material that wants to grab the CO 2 molecules. To release that captured carbon — to store it underground, for example, or process it for productive reuse — requires significant energy and complicated, expensive systems. Along the way, those systems usually lose some of the CO 2 , often only using half of the carbon they’ve removed from the air or less.

Hatzell’s team is focused on improving an approach that uses a liquid alkaline solution called KOH to capture the carbon in a DAC system. The KOH turns the gas CO 2 into bicarbonates, which eventually have to be separated again.

The Georgia Tech design avoids that expensive, energy-intensive step altogether.

Working with Jihun Oh’s lab at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, researchers created a new nickel-based catalyst and paired it with a bipolar membrane electrode assembly. Their setup uses electricity to extract CO 2 from the bicarbonates right next to the catalyst, which then converts it to carbon monoxide gas.

That’s the secret sauce of the system designed by Hatzell, postdoctoral scholar Hakhyeon Song, and Ph.D. students Carlos Fernández and Po-Wei Huang: It combines two steps into one.

“We're capturing the CO 2 into carbonates, which is a spontaneous process and doesn’t take much energy. And we’re getting rid of the desorption process and all of that energy expenditure,” Fernández said. “We save about 90% of the energy in the capture process, and about 50% of the capital cost.”

Their setup also is extremely efficient at using all of the CO 2 that moves through the reactor, according to Song. This is vastly better than systems that keep the carbon dioxide as a gas throughout the separation process.

The experimental setup researchers in Marta Hatzell’s lab used to test their new electrochemical reactor for carbon capture. (Photo: Candler Hobbs)

“We’re twice as efficient. Our CO 2 utilization efficiency is almost 70%, but the gas-phase system is 35%,” Song said. “The maximum CO 2 utilization in gas-based systems is theoretically 50%. But in our case, our maximum efficiency is 100%.”

In another important advance, the team’s catalyst works well in an acidic environment, which has been a limitation of existing systems using bipolar membranes. When the reactor layer with the catalyst turns acidic, another chemical process called a hydrogen evolution reaction occurs that competes with the reaction that reduces CO 2 to CO. The new nickel-based catalyst suppresses this interference.

Producing carbon monoxide from the CO 2 scrubbed from the air is a complicated, intensive process. But if done economically, the resulting raw material could be linked to existing chemical processes and turned into new useful products.

Making those connections is next on the team’s plate. CO can become the basis for plastics, important industrial chemicals like ethylene, and maybe even jet fuel one day.

“That's why we chose CO,” Fernández said. “Other products are harder to make, and CO is a good base for any carbon chemical. You can go from CO to almost anything through thermochemical processes.”

About the Research

Citation: Song, H., Fernandez, C. A., Choi, H., Huang, P. W., Oh, J., & Hatzell, M. C. (2024). Integrated carbon capture and CO production from bicarbonates through bipolar membrane electrolysis.  Energy & Environmental Science . https://doi.org/10.1039/D4EE00048J

Preeminence in Research

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