Assignment # 3

EVALUATE YOUR OWN RESEARCH QUESTION

Evaluate the quality of your research question and the ease with which you should be able to answer it.

Ask yourself:

1. Does the question deal with a topic or issue that interests me enough to spark my own thoughts and opinions?

2. Is the question easily and fully researchable?

3. What type of information do I need to answer the research question? For example, to answer the research question, "What impact has deregulation had on commercial airline safety?" will require certain types of information:

· Statistics on airline crashes before and after

· Statistics on other safety problems before and after

· Information about maintenance practices before and after

· Information about government safety requirements before and after

4. Is the scope of this information reasonable (e.g., can I really research 30 online writing programs developed over a span of 10 years?)

5. Given the type and scope of the information that I need, is my question too broad, too narrow, or okay?

6. What sources will be able to provide the information I need to answer my research question (journals, books, Internet, government documents, people)?

7. Can I access these sources?

8. Given my answers to the above questions, do I have a good-quality research question that I actually will be able to answer by doing research?