CHAPTER THREE:From Topics to Questions

The Craft of Research

Máster Planificación de Proyectos de Desarrollo Rural y Gestión Sostenible

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid Raquel Pastor

¿Qué nos interesa?

O Tema en concreto de donde se pueda recoger suficiente información

O Buscar algo específico que llame tu interés: preguntarse una y otra vez.

O ¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?O ¿Qué pueden esperar tus lectores de

tu trabajo?

Tomar

notas:

escribir

para

entende

r

- Brainstorming- Esbozos preliminares - Hacer diagramas para conectar hechos dispares- Estar en desacuerdo con lo que

se ha leído- Resumir fuentes…

Pensamiento más crítico para entender mejor las fuentes

Preguntas constantes

Más información + Más evidencias

“Struggling through overgrown woods, searching for something you won't know

until you find it”

Datos

Algo más que números. mantiene y soporta la respuesta de tu pregunta/solución

“If you have not collected more data than you can use,

you haven’t found enough”

From Topics to Quesions

Explore your interest Find a topic Narrow it to a manageable scope Question it to find the makings of a problem Turn your interest into a problem

Razón por la que vas a pasar semanas y meses trabajando en ello…

Tus lectores van a leerlo… ¿Qué pueden esperar?

Inquietud Personal

Utilidad Pública

The point is..

How to solve the problem?

¿Cuál es la contribución?

INTERÉS TOPIC“Nothing contributes to the quality of your work

more than your commitment”

GUIDELINESO Start listing two or three interests that

you’d like to explore. O Then

O Library: scan headings for topics that catch your interest

O Specialized index of your interest: AREA OF INTEREST

O Identify resources available in your library or on the Internet plan your research more efficiently (you’ll know where to start)

De lo General a lo Específico

Conflicto Descripció

nContribució

nDesarrollo

Don’t narrow your topic so much that you can’t find enough data on it

After a reasonable amount of time you should be able to explain in one (long) sentence the central question which your research addresses. In order to do this, you need to make the transition from a broad topic to

specific focused research question(s)

INFORMACIÓN + RESPUESTAS

From a Focused Topic to Questions

O First ask the predictable ones of your field

O Sources, development, accuracyO Journalist Questions:

O Who, What, When and WhereBUT FOCUS ON HOW AND WHY

Identificar las características, categorías, determinar el valor de las preguntas

PREGUNTAS RELEVANTES

Why do you need to identify dilemmas or gaps or problems?

O What would you like to investigate about your topic? Which aspects? Why?

O Are there any problems or issues that strike you? Why?

O Which are the unresolved dilemmas that you may have come across?

O Which of these dilemmas / problems would be worth pursuing? Why?

DEVELOPING QUESTIONS

O What would you like to demonstrate? Why?

O How is your research going to be different from previous findings, i.e. in its specific approach, in the aspect(s) of the topic explored or in the theories applied?

O In what way(s) does your question allow you to test different ideas?

O How does your question allow you to make critical use of published sources?

SO WHAT?O What is the controlling idea of your research question?O Have you thought about the concepts, issues and

contexts surrounding your topic?O What terminology must be understood?O What is the purpose of your research?O Why is it important? What are the short and/or long-term

objectives? What is the focus of your research? Have you thought of a particular approach?

O How is your research going to be carried out and achieved?

O Which are the steps you intend to follow? What is the aim of each step?

O What contribution to knowledge will your research make?

En resumen…

Tu objetivo es explicar: 1. Sobre qué estás escribiendo (tu topic)2. Qué es lo que no sabes (por qué estás

escribiendo…)3. ¿Porqué quieres que te lean?

Recogida de datos

Preguntar y contestar preguntas

The most important goal is to find questions that

challenges you or, better, arouse your

intense curiosity