Argumentative Research Essay

Generating Research Questions

Which of your two topics is most interesting to you? Which do you think you could write a research paper about? If you are uncertain, discuss this with an instructor who may provide you with some valuable feedback. Choose one of your ideas, and then let’s focus that idea by thinking of a one or two questions that you could do some preliminary research on. 

Let’s consider our example of junk food. In a brainstorm, you might have thought of words like “delicious, fun, unhealthy, health problems, obesity, etc.” This might lead to some questions, like, “Is junk food bad for children?” or “Does junk food cause disease?” You might have several ideas, but remember, you are going to make an argument and try to persuade your reader of your opinion. On this topic, you might ultimately ask the question, “Should junk food be banned from school campuses?” This would be a topic that you could research, and present your answer and evidence for your opinion in a 3-5 page paper.

Look at your brainstorm for the topic that you are most interested in. Think about some questions that you might have about your topic. List your preliminary questions in your research packet.

brainstorm graphic with yellow and blue letters