Making a Research Plan

As we discussed earlier, we live in the information era. With sources everywhere, from the library to the Internet, it can be confusing and intimidating to know where to start and what sources to use. We need to create a research plan to help us navigate through the sources available for our topic.

In another lesson, “Generating Ideas and Questions about a Research Topic,” we developed a research question:

Craft a strong research question before planning your research. This will give your research direction and keep you from exploring irrelevant sources.

By the same token, having a research plan can keep you from feeling frustrated because you can’t find enough information. It will also keep you from feeling overwhelmed by having to wade through too much information before you find sources you can use.

The first thing we need to do when planning our research is figure out what we already know. Then we can see what we still need to learn about our topic. Let’s begin by asking a few questions about our research question. This is similar to the brainstorming you did in the previous lesson. Let’s complete the pre-research questions below.

First, open the Preplan Chart provided as a PDF. You may download and type into the PDF or print it and write your answers as we step through the preplanning process.

Next, write your research question. Our example is “Can grazing cattle be good for the environment and affordable for the consumer?” We need to figure out what we already know about the topic. Type anything you can think of about grazing cattle versus feeding them in a lot: Is it better for the environment than feeding cows grain? Is it more or less expensive than feeding them grain? If you worked through the lesson about generating a research question, you might remember the research we did to refine our question. If you didn’t do that lesson, don’t worry; just write down whatever you can think of about the question.

In the space provided, write at least three questions that you need to explore in order to understand your research question.

For each question you generate, write the kinds of sources you might use to find the answer. For example, you might need journal articles, newspaper articles, books, websites, or interviews. You do not need to know any specific sources at this time.

When you have completed the chart, check your understanding below to see how I completed the chart.

Check Your Understanding

Sample Responses:

Research Question: "Can grazing cattle be good for the environment and affordable for the consumer?"

What do I already know about my research question?	What do I need to learn to better understand my research question?	For each question, provide a type of source that might help you answer the question.
Cattle raised on feed lots aren’t good for the environment.	Is grazing cattle better for the environment than keeping cows on feed lots?	Journal articles, magazine articles, books
Cattle raised on feed lots are cheaper because more cows can be kept on smaller plots of land.	Can grass-fed beef be affordable for the consumer?	Journal articles, magazine articles, books
	Can beef from grazing cattle be made cheap enough for restaurants to use it instead of conventionally-raised beef?	Interviews with ranchers who graze cattle, magazine articles, newspaper articles
	Do any chain restaurants use grass-fed beef?	Internet search, chain restaurant Web sites
	Will people eat less beef to protect the environment?	Survey

Close

Let’s review the chart together. In the first column, I wrote a few things that I learned while I was creating my research question. I included information from doing the brainstorming activities, watching the movie trailer, and reading the newspaper article—things that helped me come up with the question in the first place.

In the middle column, I wrote five questions that I still need to explore to answer my research question and write a good thesis for my paper.

In the third column, I wrote where I would likely find the answers to these questions. I wrote down mostly secondary sources: articles, books, and Web sites. I also thought that I could interview a rancher who grazes cattle to answer the question “Can beef from grazing cattle be made cheap enough for restaurants to use it instead of conventionally-raised beef?” The interview would be a primary source. I also thought I might create a survey to see whether people would be willing to eat less beef if it’s better for the environment. Not all research projects will require primary sources, but primary resources can be a way to get information that might not be available otherwise.

What’s next? We need to decide where to look for answers and talk about finding specific sources. In the next section, we’ll learn about finding secondary sources.