In college, you may be assigned to write papers on any number of topics—engineering, social movements, sports, politics, education, history—you name it. Sometimes, one of the biggest challenges in research writing can be narrowing a broad topic into a focused, researchable question that you can actually answer. 

This discussion will help you practice that process by identifying a broad topic, refining it with defining questions, and considering how you might develop that narrowed topic into an essay or paper.

Discussion Instructions

STEP 1: In the discussion board, post a broad topic that you may be expected to write a paper about. Your topic should be something general (e.g., climate change, artificial intelligence, college tuition, public transportation).

STEP 2: Return to the discussion and respond to TWO classmates’ posts with defining questions that could help you narrow down the topic. For example, if someone posts the topic “New York taxes,” you could suggest these defining questions:

• Why do only property owners (and not renters) in New York State pay school taxes?
• What percentage of school funding comes from school taxes?
• How does New York’s school funding compare to other states?
• Does the state lottery system actually contribute to school funding as intended?

Your goal is to help your classmates find an angle for their research by asking thought-provoking, specific questions.

STEP 3: Return to your post and reflect on the defining questions provided by your classmates. Then, write a response that includes:

• Two defining questions you would pursue if you were writing a paper on this topic.
• Where you would go to find answers (e.g., government reports, academic journals, news sources, expert interviews).
• A possible working thesis statement based on your defining questions.
• A reflection on how asking defining questions helped you narrow your topic and generate ideas for writing.

Rubric