TOPICS, QUESTIONS,

PROBLEMS
From Booth et al. The Craft of Research.

FINDING A TOPIC
Good topics: a question whose answer solves a
problem that you can convince readers to care
about (35).
How to find a topic:

If

you are free to choose, find one that interests you

browse the internet, magazines, books, and the world
around you
If you are assigned a topic, look through texts in that
area for a question that interests you
Advanced research: read others research papers,
read calls for papers in conference announcements
and journals; find original source material in local
libraries and communities

FROM BROAD TOPIC TO FOCUSED

Broad topics

Alternative

energy
Death in Tolstoy
Architecture in Albania

Focused topics
The

implications of the biomass energy plant in

Lezha on food prices
The transformation of materialistic perspectives in
the face of death in Tolstoys The Death of Ivan Ilyich
Earthquake-resistant characteristics of Hellenistic
architecture in Butrint

RESTATING TOPICS
Restate topics in full sentences to see if they are
interesting
Broad Topics:

Alternative

energy: There is alternative energy.

Death in Tolstoy: There is death in Tolstoys writing.
Architecture in Albania: Albania has Architecture.

RESTATED FOCUSED TOPICS

Focused Topics:
The

implications of the biomass energy plant in

Lezha on food prices: The biomass energy plant in
Lezha may influence food prices (in Albania).
The transformation of materialistic perspectives in
the face of death in Tolstoys The Death of Ivan Ilyich.
People who face death in Tolstoys The Death of Ivan
Ilyich have their materialistic perspectives
transformed.
Earthquake-resistant characteristics of Hellenistic
architecture in Butrint. Certain features of
Hellenistic architecture in Butrint may have enabled
the walls to withstand earthquakes for centuries.

ASKING QUESTIONS
Researchers want to find worthwhile questions
and answers to ensure that their work is
valuable.
Possible Questions:
History of your Topic:

How

have biomass energy systems changed? What

has historically influenced food prices? How did the
Lezha biomass energy plant come to be planned?
How did Hellenistic architecture develop? What
influenced its development? How has Albanian
architecture developed over the years? How did
Tolstoy's writing concerning death and materialism
change over time? What aspects of Tolstoy's life
influenced his perspective on death?

ASKING QUESTIONS

Structure and Composition

As

How will the Lezha plant fit into Albanian/ Balkan/

European energy? What influences food prices? What
perspectives of death and/or materialism are found in other
19th Century Russian literature? What common earthquakeresistant elements have been used elsewhere?

As

part of a larger structure:

a system?

How do the Hellenistic architectural elements fit together to

resist earthquakes? Why else were they designed? What
influences the Lezha biofuel plant in purchasing options?
What alternative inputs could be used in the Lezha plant?
What about death influences ones materialistic
perspectives?

ASKING QUESTIONS

Topic Categorization
Groupings?

What kinds of biomass plants exist? What are different

approaches to death and materialism? What types of
Hellenistic architectural elements exist?

Compare

and Contrast?

How do liquid biofuel plants compare to other types of

biofuel/biomass plants. How does Tolstoy's view of death
compare with other writers? How does Hellenistic
architecture compare with Incan?

ASKING QUESTIONS

Negative Questions
Why

hasnt Albania allowed nuclear power plants to

be built instead? What does Tolstoy avoid discussing
in his study of death? What shortcomings are evident
in Hellenistic architecture?

What If?
What

if all fuels in Albania were biofuels? What if I

could converse with Tolstoy myself? What if Tolstoy
had a conversation with Marx? What if Greeks or
Illyrians colonized South America thousands of years
ago?

ASKING QUESTIONS

Questions Inspired by Sources

Agreement

Do Tolstoys other writings demonstrate a similar view of

death? Does the company building the Lezha plant have
successful biofuel plants elsewhere? What is the influence
on food prices in those locales? What may have inspired
Hellenistic architecture? Where else is it found?

Disagreement

Jones study says that biofuel plants have negligible impact

on food prices; why does Smith warn against more biofuel
plants? Johnson and Eisenberg conflict on their
interpretations of Tolstoys depiction of death? Which one, if
either, is right and to what extent?

Not

Answeredquestions sources ask but dont

answer

EVALUATING QUESTIONS

Questions to Avoid:
Factual

questions whose answer others have found

Speculative questions that cannot be answered with
real data
Dead-ends: questions that dont matter or cant be
answered

Keep Questions that have a broader significance

QUESTION TO SIGNIFICANCE
So What?
Step 1: Name Your Topic:

am working on ___________
I am working on the earthquake-resistant features of
Hellenistic architecture in Butrint.

Step 2: Add an Indirect Question

I

am working on __________ because I want to find

out who/what/when/where/why/how/whether/if
___________.
I am working on the earthquake-resistant features of
Hellenistic architecture in Butrint because I want to
find out what enabled them to withstand thousands
of years of earthquakes.

QUESTION TO SIGNIFICANCE

Step 3: Answer So What?

I

am working on __________

because I want to find out

who/what/when/where/why/how/whether/if ___________
in order to help my reader understand how/why/whether
___________.

am working on the earthquake-resistant features of

Hellenistic architecture in Butrint

because I want to find out what enabled them to withstand

thousands of years of earthquakes
in order to help my reader understand how ancient
technology may still be applicable today (Theoretical: in
order to help my reader understand whether ancient
residents of Butrint were intellectually and
technologically more advanced than later generations of
builders).

QUESTIONS TO PROBLEMS

Structure

Practical Problems (any undesirable conditions)

Condition
Consequence or cost
Condition: A new biofuel plant uses food plants to make
fuel
Consequence: Less food will be available for human
consumption and it will be more expensive

Theoretical Problems (not knowing or understanding)

Condition: The ancient builders of Butrint used

sophisticated earthquake-resistant technology
Consequence: This will help us better understand the
intellectual and engineering capabilities of the ancients

PURE RESEARCH

Pure Research deals not with practical problems but

conditions of knowing and understanding.
In theoretical research, the cost is not knowing or
not understanding a significant question.
Applied Research:
I am working on the earthquake-resistant features of
Hellenistic architecture in Butrint

because I want to find out what enabled them to withstand

thousands of years of earthquakes
in order to help my reader understand how ancient
technology may still be applicable in designing earthquakeresistant buildings today.

Pure Research:

in order to help my reader gain insight on the larger question

of whether humans have intellectually evolved over time.

CHECK VALIDITY OF PRACTICAL

SIGNIFICANCE
Does your practical significance really derive
from your study?
If not, only list the theoretical significance.

BE REALISTIC
Dont expect to completely solve a major problems
in the world in a research paper.
But: you can help us understand something
better so as to contribute to a solution to a major
problem in the world.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph

M. Williams. The Craft of Research. 3rd ed.
Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2008.