WRT 188 - Wirkus

Course Specific Resources

3 Research Steps to a Successful Paper

Explore and pick a topic (related to black markets)

2. Learn the basics of your topic: Who, what, when, where, why. You should be able to talk for a minute, without

repeating yourself, on your possible topic.

TIP: When you participate in research or scholarship, you are entering into an ongoing conversation; you have to listen or read about that conversation before find an interesting, relevant question. Many try to skip this step and end frustrated. You wouldn't want to go up to two strangers on the street and join their conversation before you knew what they were talking about.

3. Find an interesting question--not too easy, not too fuzzy, not too many parts, not too impossible. Should require analysis.

The question should require you to identify a solution or answer to a problem. Try to stay away from open ended questions,

such as... "If we were to ban all fishing in certain waters, what would that look like?" OR "What would be the consequences

of doing this to the environment?"