Research Plan

COM/156 Version 7
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University of Phoenix Material
Research Plan
As part of your research plan, you must first draft a research question for your research paper that will
guide the rest of your writing. A research question, which is more specific and focused than a general
topic, is the question that your research paper will answer.
For example, if your general area of interest is social security, a possible research question might ask,
!ow can low"income families sa#e more money if the $nited %tates had a reformed social security plan
that includes personal retirement accounts&'
As you de#elop a research question, remember that you need to research sources to support your topic.
(o not pick a one"sided question that will limit your research. )nstead, de#elop a research question that
lends itself to further exploration and debate*a question you genuinely want to know the answer to.
+ry to pick a research question that is neither too broad ,co#ering too much- or too narrow ,co#ering too
little-. )t should be broad enough to be discussed in a short research paper.
Part 1: Complete the Research Plan
.hat is your general topic or area of interest& /ating all organic
.hat is it about your general topic that
interests you&
)t is contro#ersial all around.
.hat questions do you ha#e about the topic
that you would like to in#estigate& 0ist them.
.hat are the health risks for and against.
.hy should one choose this way of life.
!ow does one go about eating all organic.
.ould any of the questions you listed make a
good sub1ect for a research paper& Pick or
adapt one question and make it into a research
question.
2es, ) think all would, but ) will go with why should
one choose this way of life.
.hy do you think this research question will be
appropriate for a research paper&
) think that this question will answer al questions.
3opyright 4 5617 by $ni#ersity of Phoenix. All rights reser#ed.
Research Plan
COM/156 Version 7
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!ow is your research question significant or
rele#ant to a wider community&
)t is a contro#ersial topic that is spreading throughout
our country
.hat background information pro#ides the
preliminary grounds for your research& ) don8t really know how to answer this.
.hat are some expert or authoritati#e sources
of information on this research question& +here are many sources that ) ha#e found online.
.hat type of materials will you need to re#iew
for your research paper& 9oogle gi#es me so many re#iews, and inter#iews on
this.
.hat procedures will you follow to conduct
your research& 9oogle, and other online resources.
.hat difficulties do you anticipate in conducting
your research& ) think the hardest thing will be keeping it short and
not o#er doing it.
Part 2: Summarize our Research Plan
!rite a 5:6" to 766"word paragraph summari;ing your research plan. )nclude the following<
+he topic you ha#e chosen for your final pro1ect
.hat you hope to learn from your research
.hat aspect of your topic you plan to focus on in your research and writing
+he purpose of research writing and the process you will follow
+he sub1ect that ) chose to write about is eating all organic, the pros and cons. ) chose this topic because
) think that it is #ery contro#ersial and something that ) would genuinely like to learn more about, so why
not do the research and write about it. ) will do most of my research through the )nternet, 9oogle to be
more specific, but ) will also go to the local health food store here in my area and ask a few workers and
maybe e#en customers, 1ust to get a more personal feel for other people8s opinions on the sub1ect. =y
3opyright 4 5617 by $ni#ersity of Phoenix. All rights reser#ed.
Research Plan
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hopes in choosing this topic, is that it will gi#e me such a good idea of why people choose to go all
organic, and it helps me decide if it is something that ) would want to do for myself and my kids. ) also
hope that my writing not only helps me decide, but also that it helps my readers get a better idea of why
they should or should no start or stop eating all organic foods. ) think that with the right research, ) will be
able to write a paper that is persuasi#e enough in which e#er way ) choose to make it.
3opyright 4 5617 by $ni#ersity of Phoenix. All rights reser#ed.