 In this video, we'll be looking at how to formulate a research topic or question. You may be asked to complete assignments that require you to identify research problems. Sometimes, a topic or question may be assigned by your instructor, or your instructor may give you a list of possible topics. In that case, the work of identifying a research problem is already done for you. However, there may be times when you have to come up with a question yourself, and this can be more challenging than it may seem, especially when you're new to a subject area. What makes for an appropriate research question depends on the discipline and the kind and length of the assignment. Here are a few things to keep in mind when developing a research topic. First, read the assignment instructions carefully and think about the content of the course. Your instructor may have placed some parameters around the choice of topic, and very likely expects you to pick a topic that is related to the course. Second, read some of the literature in the subject area. Reading is an excellent way to better understand the discipline and learn how to contribute to research in the discipline yourself. Consider the kinds of questions researchers are looking to answer. Note where different scholars disagree. Pay attention to the writing style and tone. An appropriate writing style for one assignment in one course may not be appropriate for an assignment in a different course. Similarly, an appropriate question for an ecology paper will be different from an appropriate question for a philosophy essay, for example. Also, watch for how authors use other researchers' work in their writing. This will help you as you incorporate others' words and ideas into your own writing. Third, ensure that the question you develop is feasible, taking into consideration the kind and length of the assignment and the amount of time you have. If you aren't doing your own original research, then you'll need to find enough literature on the topic to answer your question satisfactorily. If scholars haven't published much relevant to your topic, you might have to change it. Fourth, keep in mind that formulating a research question is a process. As you do research and gather sources, you may find that you need to adjust your research question. Fifth, the question should be arguable. It should be a question that could have different answers and perhaps has been answered differently by different scholars. Answering such questions requires higher level skills that instructors are hoping you will develop. A research question that can be answered by an easily found generally accepted fact will leave you with too little to talk about in a robust research paper. Sixth, be sure that your research question is clear, concise, and precise. Your question defines the scope of your assignment and a well-defined scope will make for a more coherent and meaningful paper. And last but certainly not least, pick a topic that interests you. Often instructors give you the option to choose your own research question to give you the opportunity to explore more deeply an area you'd like to learn more about. So take advantage of it. If you're having difficulty formulating a research question or you've identified a question but aren't sure whether or not it's appropriate, it may be a good idea to consult your instructor. Your subject librarian and the Writing Center can also be helpful resources as you define your topic, run literature searches, and draft your paper. Finally, a quick word about research gaps. You may have an assignment in which you are asked not only to come up with a research question but more specifically to choose one that has yet to be addressed by researchers. In this case, your instructor would like you to find a gap in the research. This will require you to do some thorough literature searching which lies beyond the scope of this video but is covered by other videos on search techniques and strategies. You may be asked to do your own original or primary research to answer the question and begin to fill the gap. If you are not conducting your own original research then you will need to use existing literature to weave together an answer to your question. As it is a research gap, you shouldn't find any sources that directly answer your question by addressing all of your core concepts but you may be able to find sources that address different aspects of your topic and using these together you can answer your question. Identifying an appropriate research topic and question is a very important early step in the research process. A good research paper starts with a good research question.