What is an argument?

Many students often forget that the focus of the researched argument essay is their unique ideas and stances.
When we use the word argument in this class, we dont mean a hostile verbal disagreement. Rather, we
mean an essay intended to convince or persuade. Your job in this class is to take a stance on a topic and to
convince your reader that what you are arguing is correct.
Please use this handout to begin thinking about your research topic and your research question.
Narrowing a Topic and Developing a Research Question
Every good research project has a well-defined topic. Selecting and developing a topic is an ongoing process by
which you define and refine your ideas. In other words, you will be developing your research topic and ideas
throughout the entire semester. This class assignments are structured in such a way that you will be working
with your research topic/question nearly every week.
You may not know right away what your research question is (and thats okay). So you should start by gathering
information on a broader topic to explore new possibilities and to help narrow your topic.
Choose an interesting topic. I cant stress this enough. If youre interested in your topic, chances are others
will be, too, which means that it will be easier to gather research on this topic. Also, many students find success
in ENGL 1302 when they choose a research topic that is interesting and relevant to them. Make sure that your
topic does not fall into any of the banned research topics that are listed.
What is a research question?
A research question guides and centers your research. It should be clear and focused, as well as synthesize
multiple sources to present your unique argument. Be careful to avoid the all-about paper and questions that
can be answered in a few factual statements.
Examples:
1. The following question is too broad and does not define the parameters of the research:
Question: What are the good practices of business management?
Explanation: While this is a great place to start, this research question is too broad. Dont be too broad.
Researching a broad topic such as business management is difficult because there may be hundreds or
thousands of sources on all aspects of business management.
2. The following question could be answered with a quick Google search:
Question: What American companies practice Japanese styles of business management?
Explanation: To put this bluntly, this kind of question sets you up for a mediocre high school book report in
which you simply regurgitate facts that you found through a quick Google search. This book report essay is
not acceptable in a college-level English course. That said, this question could be useful in helping you gather
information to support your argument. You should be asking yourself these questions while gathering evidence
to support your argument; just dont make a question like this the sole focus of your researched argument essay.
3. The following question is good because it has parameters and it is focused:
Question: What are the benefits of ringi system on managerial decision-making?
Explanation: A research question needs boundaries because (1) it is easier to research when you know what
youre looking for, (2) boundaries help you stay focused, and (3) identifying your parameters allows you take a
stance or position on a topic.

How do I actually write my research question?

Typically, you can use any of these sentence structures to state your research question:
How does ____ influence ____? Example: How does divorce influence childrens social development?
Is/Are ____ detrimental to ____? Example: Are disposable plastic water bottles detrimental to the
environment?
Is/Are ____ beneficial to ____? Example: Is negative reinforcement beneficial to increasing employee
motivation?
Does ____ impact ____? Example: Does drinking alcohol in college impact a students GPA?
How good of a predictor is/are ____ for ____? Example: How good of a predictor is standardized testing for
college academic success?
These are just a few possibilities to help you state your research question succinctly. By filling in the blanks
with research keywords, you are setting up your parameters and narrowing your research topic. Feel free to use
any of these sentence structures when formulating your research question.
Banned Topics
The reasons I am banning the following topics are they are typically unwinnable arguments based on
value/moral/belief rather than fact-based support and/or they are old, clich, stale, and theres nothing
interesting left to say. They are also subjects that lend themselves to copy-and-paste research and plagiarism
because theyre the #basic universal stock topics of Freshman Composition.
Abortion
Violence in video games
Paying college athletes
The existence of God
Marijuana legalization
Climate Change
Fracking
Gun Control
Lowering drinking age
Euthanasia
Death Penalty
Same sex marriage
Public smoking bans
Validity of Wikipedia
Illegal immigration
Prayer in schools
Creationism/Evolution
English as the official language
Outsourcing
Over diagnosing ADD/ADHD
Research Proposal Assignment
On February 14, by 5 p.m., you will email your typed research proposal to me. This research proposal will have
two parts: (1) your research question and (2) your 50 to 100 word justification for why you want to research
this question. In your justification, explain why you want to research this question/topic and how your research

is relevant and interesting to you. Remember that most students do well in this class when they have a research
topic that truly interests them, such as some social, economic, or political issue.