Introduction

Preparing for your research helps you:

• analyse what is being asked of you
• determine what information you need
• plan your search strategy

Analysing your questions

Preparation is the key to successful research. It will save you time and help you create a high level essay, thesis or other assignment. The whole process of research might look like this:

As you can see from the diagram above, analysing your question is one of the first steps in preparation. Analysing your question helps you understand what your question means and what it is asking you to do. For more information and activities on analysing your question, visit the University of Wollongong UniLearning website by clicking on the following links:

Analysing the Question
Key Concepts
Instructional Words
Rephrasing the Question
Asking Questions

What information do you need?

The process of analysing your question also helps you determine how much information and what type of information you need to support your research. For example, a thesis will require you to locate more detailed and comprehensive information than a short essay or classroom presentation. It is also the first step in planning a search strategy. Planning your search helps you save time and improve the relevancy of search results. Begin by defining your topic to identify the key concepts.

Define your topic