1.

3.

2. What is your assignment? What do you want to write about?

*How long is your paper? How many sources do you need? What kind?

Main idea from box 2

Concept Cloud

Write down anything related to your main idea. Use Wikipedia or

reference books and databases to help.

Synonyms?

Related topics?

People?

Profession?

Places?

Dates?

Presearch Thinking Tool: Developing your research strategy

4. Use your concept map to come up with a more focused research question

Example Research Questions:

Ok: Are video games bad for kids?

Better: Does playing violent video games lead to more aggressive behavior in children?

For an argumentative essay you can then reword your research question so that it becomes a statement:

Playing violent video games leads to more aggressive behavior in children.

5. Your keywords

*Your main keywords will come from the main ideas in your research question (ex. Glacial melting, penguins, Antartica). But

remember to use some of the other ideas you generated on your concept map.

6. Research log

Database Keywords used Citation Notes