Questions To Ask When Researching For a Dissertation

Jan 14
09:15

2011

Philip Green

Philip Green

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After you select a topic, you will come to realise that there are still several confusions that you need to get over with. This is why you need to know what questions that you should ask that will get you the perfect answers for your dissertation.

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Here are some questions that you should embed within yourself as a mental checklist to ensure that the material you’re researching is worthy enough to add to your dissertation:


A. Analysis of the text

This involves asking questions while you’re reading a particular book or article. Some of the salient questions that will help you analyze the text are:

1.            What is the author’s central idea?

2.            What is the author’s purpose of writing this piece?

3.            What is the author’s intended target audience?

4.            What arguments does the author utilize to support the main point?

5.            What evidence does the author provide to support the arguments?

6.            What are the author’s fundamental assumptions or prejudices?

B. Evaluate the author’s ideas

Once you’ve finished reading the text, the next step is to start evaluating the author’s ideas. Some of the salient questions that will help you evaluate the author’s ideas are:

1.            Is the author’s argument logical?

2.            Is the text clear, well-organized, and easy to read?

3.            Are the author’s facts correct and factual?

4.            Has the author clearly defined any & all important terms?

5.            Has the author provided sufficient evidence for the arguments?

6.            Do the author’s arguments support the main point?

7.            Has the author used appropriate text for the intended target audience?

8.            Does the author’s text effectively present and counter any opposing viewpoints?

9.            Does the text used by the author help you to clearly understand the subject?

10.         Are there any words or sentences that evoke a strong response from you? If yes, then what are those words or sentences & what is your reaction?

11.         If you do have a strong reaction to the author’s text, what is the basis of your reaction? What articles, opinions, or discussions have influenced your views or created such an opinion?

12.         What questions or observations does this article imply? That is, what does the article make you think about? What kind of influence may it generate among readers who are reading this work for the first time etc.?