Research is a continuous process of asking questions, finding answers, and asking more questions. You should develop questions to guide your research on your topic.
ENTER YOUR RESEARCH QUESTIONS HERE
You don't want to investigate the entirety of your subject area, you want to focus on one or two areas only. For example, if writing on religion, you may choose to focus on:
Historian Robert C. Williams suggests that a research question might:
Source: Williams, Robert C. The Historian's Toolbox: A Student's Guide to the Theory and Craft of History. Second ed. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe, 2007.
Watch the video above about how to develop a good research question for history (the video uses the term "inquiry question", but it's the same idea).
The video mentions "historical knowledge skills". Here are some examples of historical knowledge skills:
Historical Knowledge Skill | Explanation |
---|---|
Causes | What things led to or caused the historical event? |
Change | What was different as a result of this event or person? |
Consequence | What happened as a result of the historical event or person |
Contestability | How have people interpreted this event or person differently over time? |
Continuity | What continued unchanged, or stayed the same? |
Motive | The reasons people provided for their actions |
Significance | Why is it important? |
From: History Skills
See chapter 3.1.: "Questions Historians Ask"
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