Writing Resources

Questions to Begin Your Research

1. What question(s) do you still have about your topic? Have other scholars attempted to answer this question?
2. For which aspect(s) of your topic have you found the most sources?
3. What kinds of sources do you still need to find to complete your research? How/where will you find them?
4. What key terms/concepts are you using to conduct your research/project?
5. What are you contributing to the body of knowledge on your topic? That is, what are you adding to the conversation? (Think motive.)
6. On the predraft itself, indicate which function(s) each of your sources serve (see Source Functions Across the Disciplines).