By Melinda Wilson
‘Tis the season for students to write their research papers… right before the holidays when stress levels are naturally at their highest. It’s overwhelming. There are too many topics, too many potential sources, and too little time to accomplish the writing. Here are some tips for students trying to focus their research in the final weeks of the semester when concentration and focus are rather tough to come by:
Instead of allowing your anxiety to guide you directly to your bed where you can hibernate for winter, try letting a well-developed research question guide you to a working thesis statement. Try relieving the pressure in your head through brainstorming. Construct a list of at least five different questions sparked by your research topic. If it’s difficult to develop these questions, consider having a conversation with a friend, classmate, or Writing Center Consultant about your topic. Often, the first step in discovering the research questions that will lead to fruitful exploration is simple discussion. Verbally articulating ideas about your topic provides you the opportunity to explain to yourself what you think and how you feel about the topic. It also uncovers ambiguities that lead to investigative research.
Be wary, however, of questions that are too broad to be researched. Rather, focus on a specific question. For example, instead of “what are gender roles?” try “How does the pressure of gender norms in contemporary Nigeria impact the population’s conception of masculinity?”
Based on what you already know, attempt to formulate a hypothesis. What do you expect to find through the research process? You may not know much about contemporary Nigeria, but you do have knowledge regarding how gender roles and conventions operate within your own communities. Use that knowledge to explore your own ideas about the question. Then see if research confirms your ideas.
Published December 1, 2015
