Creating a Research Plan to Guide Research

The goal of this activity is to explain your topic and develop a plan that will guide your research. This is a plan for how you will conduct research, not for how you will write your annotated bibliography.  

Task:

In 375–500 words, write a research plan that includes each of the following four elements: 

1. Topic and justification: Describe your topic and briefly explain why it is important. Consider all of the following questions:

    1. What is important about this topic?
    2. Why is more research needed on this topic?
    3. How will your research help us better understand the topic?

2. Research questions: List the 2-3 research questions that you are trying to answer with your research.

3. Sources: List 2-3 of the sources—books, journal articles, research studies, etc.— you expect to use, and explain their significance in the context of your project.

4. Questions and concerns: Share questions and concerns you have about your project at this stage and describe strategies you might employ to overcome challenges. 

COMPSS logo with stylized golden eagle wings.

 

This material was developed by the COMPSS team and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. All materials created by the COMPSS team are free to use and can be adopted, adapted, and/or shared at will as long as the materials are attributed. Please keep this information on COMPSS materials you adapt, adopt, and/or share.