Research Statement

The following steps will guide you through the process required to produce your research statement.

STEP ONE: Try to write a statement of your research interests and goals, using the following format:

  • We are studying ______________.
  • Because we want to find out who/how/why __________.

Take care not to formulate a research question so broad that it cannot be answered, or so narrow that it can be answered in a sentence or two. Good research questions are open-ended. Open-ended questions can be solved in more than one way and, depending upon interpretation, often have more than one correct answer, such as the question, Can virtue be taught? Closed questions have only one correct answer, such as, How many continents are there in the world? Open-ended questions are implicit and evaluative, while closed questions are explicit.

If you feel as though your topic is too broad or too narrow, use the following questions to refine your topic.

If your topic seems too broad, consider questions like:

  • What do you already know about the subject?
  • Is there a specific time period you want to cover?
  • Is there a geographic region or country on which you would like to focus?
  • Is there a particular aspect of this topic that interests you? For example, public policy implications, historical influence, sociological aspects, psychological angles, specific groups or individuals involved in the topic.

If your topic is so specific that you can’t find sources that specifically address it, consider questions like:

  • Could you add elements to your topic for examination?
  • Could you think more broadly about this topic? Give thought to the wider implications of your research.
  • Who are the key players in this topic?
  • What other issues are involved in this topic?

STEP TWO: Add a third statement to your research question that explains why this question is worth asking. This is the “So what?” part of your research problem. To do this, add another sentence to your statement:

  • We are studying ______________.
  • Because we want to find out who/how/why __________.
  • In order to help our listener understand _____________.

This last sentence should connect your topic and question to some theoretical or conceptual problem in the study of sound as we have pursued it in this class. Try to think about how your research relates to the conceptual issues and problems (sound, noise, music, hearing, listening, technology, voice, sensation, mind-body, etc.) we have addressed in class so far.

What does your topic, and the question you are asking of it, potentially offer to a wider community of scholars? How will you enter this conversation that we have been following through our class readings and discussions this semester?

STEP THREE:

Once you have settled on a statement, you should then make a list of the evidence that you anticipate you will need to find in order to complete your research. What kinds of primary sources will you use (i.e. newspapers, TV shows, radio broadcasts, government documents, business contracts or reports, and so on)? What kinds of secondary sources might you need in order to contextualize the primary materials (i.e. sources that provide a historical or cultural background to your topic or sources that analyze related topics)? Your list should include a minimum of THREE kinds of evidence you need to find to complete your research.

Assignment:

Research Problem Statement: Use the above steps to complete a your research statement. It should consist of the three-sentence formula (We are studying/Because we want to find out/In order to help our listener) followed by a list of at least three kinds of evidence you need to locate. Email your problem statement to me by 11:59pm on Friday, October 16.