What has already been written about this topic?
Is it easy to find sources of information?
Is there a range of different resources available?
Is there a range of views or perspectives on the topic?
What interesting questions have started to emerge from my reading on the topic?
Consider and evaluate the emerging questions:
Brainstorm some open-ended questions (see examples below); frame questions with "how", "why", or "to what extent". Question should be clear, focused, and arguable.
Choose and refine your question, consider research outcomes:
suggesting possible outcomes of the research
outlining the kind of argument you could make and how the research findings might support this
considering options if the research sources available are not sufficient to sustain an essay of the depth and detail required.
Source: IBO
Source: Jeri Hurd
