GRAD 695: Research Methodology and Writing

Assignment 2

(Refine your research topic)

Due: Sep 26th, 2021 @ midnight

In this assignment, you are expected to refine your research topic that you have selected in Assignment 1. You are also expected to raise research questions and formulate the objectives of the study.

Follow the directions below:

Student Name:………….

Proposed Research Topic:………….

Directions for Refining Your Research Topic

1. Review the following guidance on how to conduct research and refine your topic:

· HU Library Research Step by Step

· MIT Libraries Refining a research topic

1. Using the HU Library, Google scholar or another scholarly research tool, conduct preliminary research on your topic to determine whether it is too broad, too narrow, and adequately addresses an ISEM issue or topic. Your topic may need to be adjusted for your GRAD695 Research Proposal.

· Select “Peer Reviewed” to limit your search to documents reviewed by subject experts

· Select “Full Text” to limit your search to documents you can access immediately

· Add additional keywords to bring focus to your research

1. Conduct research and narrow or broaden your topic to focus on a specific ISEM research need, complete the table below. Repeat the process until you have achieved a reasonable number of results to research.

Instructions

List Keywords

used in search

Number of Results

Search using your original Topic

Add additional focused keywords based on the guidance for narrowing or broadening

Add additional focused keywords based on the guidance for narrowing or broadening

Add additional focused keywords based on the guidance for narrowing or broadening

Add additional focused keywords based on the guidance for narrowing or broadening

1. Please list three (3) insights that you have noted about your research topic through this exercise. (helps to define your research questions)

1. Based on these preliminary searches, has the focus of your research changed? In what way?

1. Have you identified any gaps in the existing literature? (This is important. Your topic should be original and contribute to the existing knowledge)

1. How does your proposed topic take a different/new approach or add to the existing body of knowledge?

1. Raise your research questions: After you did literature review assignment in the next weeks, you will be more specific while defining your research questions, but based on the research you did in the previous steps, what research questions do you hope to answer? The research questions to be answered through the study become the basis of your objectives.

1. Formulate objectives. On the basis of your research questions, formulate the main objective and the subobjectives of your study. Examine your objectives to ascertain the feasibility of achieving them through your research endeavor. Consider them in the light of the time, resources (financial and human) and technical expertise at your disposal.

1. Double check: It is very important that you clarify your research problem. Here are ?ve questions that will help you clarify your research problem:

9. Is the problem interesting? It is better to work on something that interests you?

9. Is the problem new? Choose a problem that is relatively new but has not been fully studied.

9. Will the study add to knowledge? You must be convinced that by doing the study you will contribute new knowledge.

9. Is the problem feasible? Choose problems that you can manage, those that can be feasibly undertaken.

9. Has anyone else had a prior claim to it? You may not be able to claim credit for a research problem that has already been studied previously by other researchers, but you may be able to arrive at other ?ndings.

If your answer to any of these questions is either ‘no’ or ‘uncertain’, re-examine the selected aspects carefully and make the appropriate changes in your objectives.

For additional help with your research needs, contact a librarian at the HU Library by sending an email to [email protected] or calling 717-901-5188