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Assignment | Argument with Research (P. Khalaf): Topic Development

ENGL 1302 | Prof. Paula Khalaf (Spr 2025)

Start with Background Information Sources

Topic, Research Question, Thesis

First, you develop and narrow down your topic -- the general idea of what you're going to be researching. From that, you need to develop your research question, i.e. what is the question you are attempting to answer by doing your research? This, in turn, will form the basis for your paper's thesis (your claim/argument/answer) which you'll explicitly state in your introduction.

From your central topic, you develop your research question(s) to investigate, and then finally develop a thesis statement which answers your chosen question.

Use Research Tools to Manage Information

The latest research tool for LSC-UP students is PowerNotes. Assignments often require students to learn more, to search for, evaluate and select information. The next step is gaining new knowledge through reading what you find. And then...

PowerNotes unifies the steps of reading, gathering, saving, annotating, outlining, tracking and citing research into a single, efficient workflow that feeds directly into the writing process.

Create your account. Install an extension for your browser (see the video for instruction).

Set-up PowerNotes Account [Video]

When you are inside an information source, open up PowerNotes and the turn on the PN extension.

  • Create the ENGL 1302 project.
  • Highlight sections from articles, webpages or eBooks, highlight sections of information you want to use.
  • The extension will capture information, location, and citation.
  • Add your notes or comments as you go.

From source to source your captures and notes are on the platform. Ready, set, go!

Credo Mind Map Tool

Mind Map a Topic